What was justice like in ancient Athens?

Answer 1

Courts were empannelled from the citizens selected by lot, who were both judge and jury. Ordinary citizens prosecuted cases, avoiding self-interested lawyers. Trials took place on one day with a set period for accusation and defence.

Juries numbered 500 or even 2000 in serious cases. This meant that the decisions were effectively like an opinion poll of the entire population. There were few rules - accuser and defendant could say what they liked, but knew in such a limited community that the jurors probably knew a lot of the facts and could pick outright lies, so the were cautious about lying, preferring to go for exaggerating their case instead. The jury could vote guilty or not huilty, each having to coloured balls signifying yes or no, one of which they placed in and urn to be counted.

Punishments were also decided by the jury. In the event of a guilty verdict the prosecutor and defence each proffered a punishment - it meant that each presented an option most attractive and appropriate to the jury, which selected one or the other - asking for excessive punishment or lebiency was likely to get the jury to opt for the other. Very serious crimes brought death (Socrates for example was pinned for sacrilege). An affluent convicted might, for example, offer to finance a state warship for a year which would be attractive to the jury as it saved state taxes. Socrares was allowed to suicide as an option. Otherwise the Ten judicial officers would arrange for a state slave to cut the convicted's throat and throw the body into a cess pit.