Jury in the Youth Justice System

Under the YCJA, a person 14 years of age or older may choose to be tried by a judge and jury for certain serious offenses, such as assault or murder. The jury for these offenses consist of 12 people, and all 12 must agree on the verdict. The decision must be unanimous. You can also note that the jury does not influence how hard it is on someone, they can only decide if the accused is guilty or not guilty.

Serving on juries is considered a duty of Canadian citizens. Anyone 18 years of age and older are considered for jury. But there are exceptions, like people convicted of some crimes. If you are summoned to jury duty, it is your responsibility to appear at the courthouse on time. You must make whatever arrangements are necessary for transportation, time off work or classes, and rebooking assignments. Employers are required to give you time off for jury duty, but don't have to pay you. People may be excused from jury duty if they can demonstrate it would cause them undue hardship.

There are advantages and disadvantages to having a jury for an accused person. Advantages are that they can discharge biased people, and it reduces the harshness of the justice system. Disadvantages are that it may be more expensive in legal fees, it can take longer than facing a judge, and the jurors views may be swayed with sly lawyers.