Story: Law

A jury at work

A jury at work

In 1979 members of the jury, judge and lawyers in a drugs trial were taken to inspect a site of relevance to the case – an abandoned freezing works in Gisborne. This was the first time that a jury had been taken to view a crime scene. Trial by jury, where a person’s guilt or innocence is decided by a panel of 12 citizens, has always been a part of New Zealand law. It gives the public a stake in the administration of the criminal justice system.

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Gisborne Herald
Reference: Negative Number C221
Photograph by Allan Peake

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How to cite this page:

Geoffrey Palmer, 'Law - Criminal and civil law', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/36997/a-jury-at-work (accessed 17 April 2024)

Story by Geoffrey Palmer, published 20 Jun 2012, updated 1 Oct 2016