gitana1
Verified Attorney
- Joined
- May 31, 2005
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I am very surprised the jury was not sequestered for a case this high profile.
I’m so glad they weren’t though! Ever since the Caylee Anthony case judges are more cautious about it. That jury refused to find her guilty on anything (multiple available charges like child neglect, etc.) that would’ve led to a sentencing phase and more sequestration.
“Courts have generally moved away from sequestration during jury deliberation in recent years, and sequestration during the evidence portion of the trial is particularly uncommon.”
“Being sequestered means staying in a hotel with strict limits on your personal movement, on what you can read and watch, and on your communication with friends and family. The confinement and isolation can take a heavy toll on jurors as a trial drags on, ratcheting up the pressure to reach a verdict, according to experts. “People describe, initially, loneliness, boredom, and discomfort,” said Greg Hurley, an analyst with the National Center for State Courts. “That will convert over time for some people to a lot of anxiety, stress, depression, and generally negative feelings … You’re removed from your lifestyle: You’re not going to have your TV, your couch, your loved ones, your pets,” he said.”
How the Psychological Toll of Isolation Might Be Affecting Bill Cosby Jurors
“It’s rare. I can’t recall a North Carolina jury that has been sequestered. Based on the scarcity of appellate case law interpreting or applying G.S. 15A-1236(b), it seems that sequestration is not even requested very often. (Summaries of the relevant cases appear at the end of this post.) This Slate article asserts that sequestration “has fallen so far out of favor that judges rarely bother anymore,” because jurors don’t like it and tend to drop out of sequestered trials based on personal hardships.”
Jury Sequestration
The judge tightly controlled the media in this case and it’s not as insane as some cases. I think sequestration is terrible and causes jurors to rush decisions and even to decide not to find a defendant guilty of that would lead to more sequestration.