Explain the jury-selection process, the verdict process for jurors, and the verdict requirements that impact different juries based upon their size

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The initial list of people chosen, which is called a venire or jury array, provides the state with a group of citizens potentially capable of serving on a jury; Unqualified people and those who are exempt by reason of their professions are not allowed to be jurors are eliminated, and then random selection is performed to provide enough names for the next step. Once the prospective jurors have been chosen, the process of voir dire begins: all people selected are questioned by both the prosecution and the defense to determine their appropriateness to sit on the jury. A juror who acknowledges any bias for or prejudice against the defendant is removed for cause and replaced with another; there is no limit placed on the number of these challenges. In addition, both the prosecution and the defense are allowed peremptory challenges, through which they can excuse jurors for no particular reason or an undisclosed reason; these are limited by statute. Once the charge has been given to the jury, the jurors retire to deliberate on a verdict. The verdict in a criminal case is usually required to be unanimous. The jurors are always sequestered during their deliberations; if a verdict cannot be reached, the trial may result in a hung jury. A unanimous verdict is required when a six-person jury is used; when a twelve-person jury is used, it does not require a unanimous verdict, except in first-degree murder cases.