EUROPEAN SYSTEMS OF JURY TRIAL

Abstract

Systems of jury trials exist around the world and represent a characteristic of, primarily, Anglo-Saxon legal system. On the first place, the author emphasizes that in the world there exists two basic forms of citizen participation in trial. Nowadays, we have a clear jury system, where citizens make a special trial chamber, which determines the facts and resolves all issues on trials, and on the basis of fact answer the question whether the defendant is guilty or not. On the other hand, there is a mixed jury system, where citizens and judges have a single trial chamber, and where they have equal rights in the fact-finding and in the imposition of criminal sanctions. In the UK and Commonwealth countries, this type of trial has a long history. Nevertheless, in recent years, it experienced a renaissance over the world and has been established in those countries that never had the jury system, or they had it in some stage of their development. In this paper, the author deals with jury trials in some European countries, especially in Spain and Russia, and explains their legal solutions, which strengthen the security of the citizens in the legal system and rule of the law.