Ocean, interesting how different things are in different places! I can't believe the jurors were allowed to take their notes home with them. In my experience, jurors were allowed to take notes during deliberation, but the notepads and pencils were provided by the court and these were confiscated each time we left the room, even for lunch. At the end of the trial, they were again confiscated, and we were told they would be destroyed. (Not that I believe that! I have no reason not to, but no reason to believe it, either.)
I'm also amazed that some states allow photos of the victims. NY doesn't allow any photo of the victim except those submitted as evidence, and then only in an evidence capacity. In my case, we never saw his face, or presented in any humane way -simply the backside of him, lying dead, covered in vomit. It's so biased. There the defendant sits, day after day, dressed in his best, "humanizing himself" before the jury, while the victim is a faceless, body-less entity. Often a mere concept.
