Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> Sentencing Law and Policy

Criminal Law

: Sentencing Law and Policy

Jury sentencing system in Japan has lay citizens and judges working together

By Douglas A. Berman

I noted earlier this week that Japan was conducting its first criminal jury trial in decades and that its new jury system was to include sentencing responsibilities.  This BBC News piece provides a fascinating report on the result of the first trial: Japan's first jury trial for more than 60 years has ended with a man in his 70s being sentenced to 15 years in prison for murder. The new jury system is the result of a major overhaul of Japan's legal system, aimed at speeding up trials and offering greater transparency. In the landmark case, six men and women working with three judges convicted and sentenced Katsuyoshi Fujii, 72. Until now Japanese trials have been decided by a panel of judges. The last time a citizen jury was part of a Japanese trial was in a short-lived experiment before World War II...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on August 06, 2009 (boomark / email).