ABSTRACT

The jury system remains the cornerstone of the criminal trial in Commonwealth Caribbean as it is in England and the US. This is so despite the fact that only a small minority of defendants qualify for jury trial, since most criminal offences are summary or may be tried summarily. If a person who is disqualified or unqualified as a juror sits in a jury, this will not in itself lead to the quashing of conviction. Throughout the region statutory provisions also enumerate lists of persons who are exempted or excused from service. The types of person exempted are similar in most jurisdictions and include judges, lawyers, magistrates, police officers, Members of Parliament, ministers of religion and diplomats, for obvious reasons. Statute requires that a list of qualified jurors should be made and revised annually or biennially, as the case may be. The first list is prepared either by the Registrar of the Supreme Court or by the Chief Elections Officer.