Two thirds of jurors sitting in British courts fail to understand what a judge tells them about important aspects of the law, risking serious miscarriages of justice, a study concludes.

The groundbreaking government study in to secrets of a jury room, found jurors frequently researched their trial on the internet, in clear contempt of court.



Jurors 'fail to understand judges instructions'

Our judge just recently began directly mentioning Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and MySpace - seems like it may create the possibility of juror misconduct more often than preventing it?

Could the problem be with the judges? Heck, half the time I can't make heads or tails of what is going on in British movies when they use that funny accent. And, PBS stuff puts me to sleep.

After growing up with Star Trek and Star Wars try watching Dr. Who on BBC

It sounds like Brit judges have the option of giving written instructions or verbal instructions to juries, and most opt for verbal instructions only. If that is the case, I am surprised that only 2/3's of jurors get it wrong.

As I recall when I was last in an English court over two decades ago, the judge gave the instructions orally and also summed up the case for the jury! But my memory on those quaint activities is becoming a tad fuzzy.