TOPIC: 1st Grade ( Practice 20 )
Agree or disagree:
Ordinary citizens should be involved in trials as a judicial panel.
POINTS:
The duty of confidentiality The security of judicial panels Mandatory attendance The rapidness of trials The reflection of public opinions False accusation
Ever since lay judge system was implemented in Japan, a number of criminal cases have been judged by ordinary citizens. While some people believe this new system has brought a fair judgment and expedited judicial procedures, I believe ordinary citizens should not be involved in court cases for the following reasons.
First of all, since lay people can easily be influenced by the media or public opinion, it is difficult for them to make an impartial judgment in court. In a murder case, for example, lay people often have strong feelings against the suspect and make their judgment based on their emotions rather than on the circumstantial facts or evidence. As a result, there may be more cases where people are wrongly accused of the crime they have not committed.
[ Firstly, ordinary citizens can be very emotional when they have to make judgment about a case. Since they are not trained professionals, such as laywers or prosecutors, they tend to make their decision based on feelings toward victims or their families. As a result, they often fail to consider the circumstances where the accused was involved when comitting crimes. ]
Secondly, many lay judges report that it is a mental burden to make important decision on a court case. In the case of murder, for example, they might have to decide whether the suspect needs to be sentenced to death. Depending on the judgement to make, some people involved in a court case can suffer from mental problems long after the trial is over.
Thirdly, it is practically impossible to have all the citzens invloved in jury trials. Some professional, such as doctors or nurses, may be too busy to particiapte in all the meetings required by court. If they are exampted from their duty on the ground of schedule conflicts, others think that they are unfairly treated, which discourages them from taking part in a judicial panel.
For these reasons, I do not believe that ordinary citizens should be involved in judgment of court cases. It is only law proffesionals like laywers that can make sensible decisions in court without bias and prejudice
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