Test Our Jury's Solution

"All men are created equal." 

 The United States' founding fathers had this idea deeply imbedded into their minds when they established our great nation. One of the greatest ideals they implemented was the idea that all men are a clean slate, Tabula Rasa. This meant that all men are innocent, until stained. 

The question then stands:  Why are some men convicted of crimes that they did not commit? Inversely, why do some people walk away without any conviction?

More often than not, the jury is to blame. These juries, often biased or uneducated, hold the lives of the suspect in their hands. As our nation's people slowly become more and more apathetic towards the values that the US was built upon, less people know of the laws that we are governed by. This, in turn, puts people who do not know the laws of our land into a jury due to the citizens' civic duty of serving on a jury.

To make matters worse, evasion of jury duty is punishable by law, which forces these apathetic citizens into sitting through a case in which they are neither educated nor interested in. In what way is this fair for those suspects whose lives are on the line?

Although this seems like something that is unavoidable, as apathy is merely a human quality, there is a viable solution to our problems. 

By simply implementing a test that a potential jury must take in order to measure whether they are suit to judge others, we succeed in weeding out those who are not fit for the opportunity. This test would cover background information, as well as laws that are crucial to the case. Failure to pass this test would push their jury duty back until they become a suitable choice. Excessive failure of the test due to apathy would then be punished by requiring the person to pay for their own exam.

This blog was created in order to inform the public of past and present cases in which the jury was corrupt or incorrect in their choices. Hopefully the public eye will be opened to this simple solution to a major social and political issue.


-Matt Kim

The Innocence of Darryl Hunt

http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Darryl_Hunt.php

Darryl Hunt was wrongly accused for stabbing a 25 year old girl 16 times. Even though there was not any evidence at all for the murder of the 25 year old, he was still a subject of the killing. He was then charged for a degree of murder. Even though Hunt's girlfriend testified that he was with her during the murder. In 1984 Darryl was sent into prison for a murder that he has not causes, then in 1994 he was proven his innocence.

This case has proven the jury system is not accurate or reasonable, they have accused Darryl for a murder that has no evidence and has proven that he is innocent and still charge him for a first degree murder. The reason why Darryl was charged for murder was because it was a full white jury and he look similar to the murder.

To make this a better jury system, there should be more evidence put into a trial before assuming and charging an innocent citizen for murder.

Sentencing is 2012 Marine murder case delayed over possible juror misconduct

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/sentencing-is-2012-marine-murder-case-delayed-under-questions-of-juror-misconduct/2014/05/30/cd8b1310-e81f-11e3-8f90-73e071f3d637_story.html

Sentencing is 2012 Marine murder case delayed over possible juror misconduct

In this article a marine was accused of fatally stabbing another marine in a fight in 2012. In this case there was two superior judges looking over this case. The marine was sentences to 15 years according to the jury, but they pushed back the sentence because jury misconduct. One of the juror was convicted of registered sex offender; the other was the victim of a violent crime. They held another case to retrial, because of the misconduct of jurors. Now the defense Attorney are more aware of backgrounds of jurors to make their decision more accurate. The case is undecided and was suppose to have a retail on July 11.

This case was shows the misconduct of what uninformed jurors can cause to a high profile case. Jurors should be informed and have clean background to avoid bias sentences.

This case relates to what we are trying to point is that jurors should be informed. If we had a test to make sure that jurors are informed of what they are doing, then this misconduct's of jurors would not happen.

Glenn Ford, Free From Death Row After Nearly Three Decades

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/11/glenn-ford-black-man-wrongfully-convicted_n_4944670.html

After nearly three decades of being a prisoner on death row, Glenn Ford, 64 and black, was convicted by an all-white jury in 1983 robbery and murder of Ishadore Rozeman, the owner of the jewelry store that was robbed. Ford was found guilty in 1984 and sentenced to death by electrocution. Ford has been held at Louisiana Penitentiary in Angola since March 1985.

For three decades, Ford has maintained his innocence and filed many appeals, most of which were denied. In 2000, there was a hearing on Ford's claim that the prosecution did not mention evidence related to Jake and Henry Robinson, two brothers who were initially implicated to the crime. An unidentified informat in 2013 told the prosecutors Jake Robinson had admitted to killing Rozeman.

It is horrible what has happened to Glenn Ford for the last three decades. The justice system has wrongly convicted him and neglected evidence that would have acquit him of the crimes. The implementation of the test can save a man or woman from living on death row and condemn the real guilty party.

Lynn Dejac Trail

http://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3169

Lynn Dejac has been accused of "killing" her daughter, but the true story was that her daughter Crystallyn Girard died from overdoes of cocaine. For a few years people have believed that she was the murder of her daughter. Even with the false info from Wayne Hudson saying that Lynn confessed of killing her daughter. With that Lynn has been charged with second degree murder. Then looking more into the murder of Crystallyn, DNA was found in and on her body. With the DNA found it was revealed that it was a mans DNA in her skin cell similar found on the wall. Then in February 13, 2008 found a new autopsy that she was killed by cocaine.

With this case being easily solved, the jury should not listen to Wayne Hudson because he was charged with forgery charges and sentenced to life for a offender. Also with better evidence and DNA test, Lynn would not have been accused for murder. With a jury playing a role into the evidence, they should have listened to Lynn statement and give her a chance to prove her innocence.

To make this jury system more equal and fair, citizens should have the right to speak their statement before getting accused.

Valentin Cabajal's case

http://blog.sfgate.com/crime/2013/04/08/court-unravels-judges-mistake-in-molesting-case/

 A Los Angeles Countryman was accused for sexually abusing his daughter and stepdaughter. Valentin was convicted back in 2007 for molesting his daughter on three accounts. They added nine accounts to Valentin for molesting and raping his daughter. The question here was whether he raped or molested multiple victims because this indicates how many years Cabajal receives. The judge asks whether Cabajal did or not or information regarding to whether Cabajal sexually abused other victims. According to blog.sfgate.com, reinstates the second jury’s verdict and Carbajal’s full sentence of 83 years to life. According to blog.sfgate.com, "Goodwin Liu threw in some advice for judges in future cases: Don’t ask jurors questions they can’t answer".

Here you have a judge who does not have all the information and the jury itself isn't well educated to answer the judge's question. With our test, this will exemplify these type of jurors and ensure a jury that will make this trial more efficient than the jury they had in this case.

Being convicted to many years life is a huge deal and the jury decides that. We need to ensure a proper jury or we may put a person's life in someone's hands.

A Retrial for John Goodman

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-05-03/news/fl-goodman-new-trial-ruling-20130508_1_john-goodman-goodman-case-circuit-judge-jeffrey-colbath

John Goodman, a polo magnate, was convicted of DUI manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison will received a new trial that was ordered by a Palm Beach County judge because of new evidence of juror misconduct during the first trial. Dennis DeMartin, a Delrey Beach retiree was accused of lying to get a seat on the jury.

DeMartin repeatedly denied that his ex-wife was arrested for a DUI in Connecticut in 1997. DeMartin and five other jurors found Goodman guilty of driving drunk and smashing his Bentley into Scott Wilson, 23. Goodman, saying his car malfunctioned, walked away and drank after the crash to dull the pain of a broken wrist.

With DeMartin's background, he could doom the defense and make the trial unfair. This problem can rise in any trial, whether it deals with murder, kidnapping, or DUIs. The test implementation for the jury would prevent this kind of problem from happening. The solution can help our system be more efficient and fair.