Why are there 12 jurors on a criminal case?

Answer 1

The reason there are 12 jurors, is there is the precedent set by the constitution to ensure there is enough diverse backgrounds of an individual's peers to ensure a fair trial. The second part is there is an even number of jurors to prevent an odd "swing vote" to prevent the coercion of any given juror to change their verdict vote. Thus, a trial can end in three ways: guilty, not guilty, or a deadlock which is known as a mistrial to ensure uniform justice is upheld.

Answer 2

The story goe's that during the reign of Henry II (1154 to 1189), to regain for the English crown the powers usurped by Thomas Becket, Chancellor of England, 12 "good and lawful men" in each village were assembled to reveal the names of those suspected of crimes. It was during this same period that juries were divided into two types, civil and criminal, with the development of each influencing the other..however in American Law..the Sixth Amendment says nothing at all about jury size, even though 12 person-juries had been traditionally used in America, the expectation that a jury consists of 12 members dated back to the 1300s,but historically-Twelve is the solemn number. When Morgan of Glamorgan, Prince of Wales, established trial by jury in A.D. 725, he wrote, 'For as Christ and his Twelve Apostles were finally to judge the world, so human tribunals should be composed of the king and twelve wise men.

Many legal experts have debated on this topic but...

It does not say in the American Constitution or the amendments how many people should be in a jury. It just says "to be tried by a jury of their peers". Some courts have been arguing about it for a while.

Answer 3

I'm pretty sure theres 13 not 12, and its because they will always have a unanamus vote towards if the defendant is guity or innocent. ADDED: Depending on the jurisdiction AND the crime being tried, there are not necessarily always 12 jurors empanelled. Some states often try cases with fewer than that number. REFERRING TO THE FIRST ANSWER: extra jurors are usually always selected to hear the case. When the court presentations are complete the extra juror is excused and does not participate in the deliberations - their only reason for being there was to act as a "back-up" in the event that one or more of the regular jurors (the first ones selected) became ill or could not be present for the entire trial.

Answer 4

There are not always 12 jurors, the number is specified by the laws of the state in which the legal action occurs. There can be between 6-12 jurors in a civil case and 12 jurors in a criminal case or Grand Jury seating.

Answer 5

Because for a suspect to be found guilty there must be a majority number of jurors who disagree wth his defence.

Added: (in the US) not all states require a 12 member jury panel except in capital cases. Some get by with as few as 7 for more minor criminal offenses. Check with your local state laws.