Jury Trial or Judge Trial for Denver Criminal Charges
In many courts, you have the choice whether to have a judge or a jury decide your guilt or innocence. But which is better? You want to be found innocent and not guilty, right? If so, consider a Denver jury trial every time. Judges are not the best route to take. Let’s figure out why in the blog to follow. Read why a jury trial is best.
Jury is Better for Criminal Charges in Arapahoe County
In every criminal case, the prosecution, or the District Attorney, must prove you are guilty. This is called the Burden of Proof, and they have it – not you. So, you want to make it the most difficult for them to prove you guilty and meet their burden. Now is it easier to convince one person something or one hundred people something? Surely in one hundred you will find someone who agrees with you and not the government, right? This is the foundation of why we as defense attorneys want a jury in every trial: It is more difficult to prove something to bigger numbers. The more the better. The worse would be a judge trial where the government only had to convince one person you are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. So, how many jurors do you get?
Douglas County Felony Charges Get Twelve and Misdemeanor Charges Get Six in Colorado
Since a felony charge in Douglas County is more serious, our system of government lets you have a jury of 12. Twelve is good, because it is harder for the Castle Rock government to prove you guilty to twelve people than it is to one (a judge) or six. In less serious misdemeanor cases, you can have a jury of six or three. The government in Parker, Colorado always prefers three jurors, because it makes their job easier. We never want them to have an easier job.
Jefferson County Jury Trial – Who Do You Select?
When you have a criminal case, you want to get jury who will side with you, right? What kind of people would you want to have on your jury if you are charged with Child Abuse in Jefferson County? Would you want police officers? How about teachers? How about a nurse or doctor? Each of these people would be very likely to convict you in Golden, Lakewood or Arvada. Anyone who regularly cares for children is a fan of kids. Medical people seek victims of child abuse or other crimes and develop a loyalty toward protecting them. Likewise, there is a preferred group of jury members who are least likely to convict you. Juror composition is very important and you need to carefully consider the history, employment and attitudes of every juror panel member during jury selection. Remember, you get to help choose who your jurors will be so discuss this with your lawyer in advance of your Jefferson County criminal trial.
Peremptory Challenges and Challenges for Cause in Adams County Jury Trials
While you get to help in the process of deciding who will be on your Adams County jury, there are limits to how much say you have. You can excuse a juror from your trial for no reason, but only a certain number of times. This number of Peremptory challenges differs for misdemeanor and felony trials. In other situations, you can get rid of jurors because they can’t be unbiased or because of jobs they hold. These are called challenges for cause.
Jury selection can be very complicated and it moves really fast. Only someone who has been there hundreds of times before and learned the process can advise you how to increase your chances of an acquittal. No system is perfect, but Denver defense lawyers have a system to increase your odds of an acquittal. Learn more by meeting with our criminal defense attorneys at our office. Call 303-731-0719. Together, we can protect your future.
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