Jury Selection Game

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I found this game kind of interesting. At first you are asked to pick a case that you want to participate in, then it gives a short description of what is going on, then you pick if you want to be the prosecutor or the defense. The game then has a list of 20 jurors and gives some information about each one. You select which 12 of the 20 you would think would benefit your case the most. After you do this you are given a score and it also gives you the reasons why or why not each juror you selected would be beneficial to the case. I thought the game was interesting because it shows you to a certain extent what both sides go through in the juror selection process.

 

http://www.texaslre.org/jury_game.html 

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I played this jury selection game just to get an idea how difficult it is to try to select appropriate people as potential jurors. I decided to take the prosecution's side in selecting for the criminal case. I scored a 50 which is "very good." I was kind of surprised by this score because it was difficult to choose who you think will be a juror that is most likey to side with you. Just because their information card leads you to believe that they would take your side, you never know how people are going to react. Just because a juror's husband is a D.A. doesn't always mean that she'll side with the state. Maybe they had a lover's tiff a few days ago, and she's still mad at him. She may side with the defense for that reason, it's not right, but she might.

I just played this game to see the process of selecting a jury and to see who would be good on one side to the other. I took first took the defense and then decided to take the prosecution's side in the criminal case. I also, like above, scored a 50. It was difficult to know exactly what side the juror would take but when I was picking the jurors I went with an older person to have a more "experienced" life and that they might take the case more seriously and care more about the case.

I tried to pick the jurors that have had negative problems when it came to car accidents and drunk drivers. Also, I picked the jurors, or at least tried, to get the ones that would also have something against younger adults, such as an assault against a wife or against themselves. This was actually really fun and I enjoyed reading and debating whether one juror would be better over the other. I tried to take this as serious as I could when choosing them. This was a fun little game to play!

I just played this game to see the process of selecting a jury and to see who would be good on one side to the other. I took first took the defense and then decided to take the prosecution's side in the criminal case. I also, like above, scored a 50. It was difficult to know exactly what side the juror would take but when I was picking the jurors I went with an older person to have a more "experienced" life and that they might take the case more seriously and care more about the case.

I tried to pick the jurors that have had negative problems when it came to car accidents and drunk drivers. Also, I picked the jurors, or at least tried, to get the ones that would also have something against younger adults, such as an assault against a wife or against themselves. This was actually really fun and I enjoyed reading and debating whether one juror would be better over the other. I tried to take this as serious as I could when choosing them. This was a fun little game to play!

I thought this was a very interesting game. It really showed the process of how juries are choosen and for what reasons. I also enjoyed it because I intend on going to law school after undergrad, so it was great to get a glimpse into a potential career.

I was surprised with the amount of information that attorneys were given. I had always been under the impression that juries were more random, truly meant to be a "jury of your peers". Obviously, after completing this activity, I know there is much more at play here. When I did the activity, I choose jury members for the prosecution. It was very interesting to think about what kind of people would work well for your case, and then to be explained as why they were good candidates for the jury.

Although I fully support having a jury in a court of law, sometimes I wonder if the jury really is educated in the practice and theory behind the American legal system to be able to make the kind of decisions asked of a jury. A jury often times is the deciding factor in a very important decision that will affect many people. Are they taking their civic duty seriously? Do they really know how to analyze evidence and eyewitness testimonies? Personally, I believe there needs to be more education for juries in order to ensure a fair trial.

I played this game and it was very enlightening to what characteristics you would want to look for when selecting a jury. I choose a criminal case where I was the prosecution. I scored a 50 which is “very good.” This surprised me because I was not sure if I was correctly picking the right jury members that will help my side of the case, which is prosecution.

My case had to do with a drunken 18 year-old who hit another car killing the driver. The car and teenager were found a couple miles away. When selecting jurors that would help my side of the case I looked who had prior involvement with cases where the prosecution won and there was a conviction. I also looked at people who would have a strong view point for my argument. One of the jurors that I selected was a mother who was a member of MADD (mothers against drunk driving) and another had a child that was killed in a hit and run by a drunk driver. These two jurors were very strong for the prosecution and will more than likely help get a conviction.
I never knew what really goes into the thought of selecting a jury until I played this game. It really shows how a juror can either hurt or help your argument.

I was a little bit surprised at all of the information that was given in selecting jurors. But this overall helped my decision of who will help my case and who may help the case for the defense. This activity really shows how important it is to look into the jurors past, their jobs, and their marital status. This is for the reason that you do not want someone who is in emotional distress from something that is happening in their own lives, this could seriously damage your side of the case.

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