The jury is a highly regarded and celebrated institution which symbolises lay democracy in action. Jurors must reach a verdict on the evidence presented in court and they must not discuss the case with other people or conduct their own research or investigations into the case (including on the internet). Criminal offences of jury misconduct are punishable by imprisonment and some jurors have been sent to prison for breaking the rules. This talk will take the audience on a journey through some of the key cases of juror misconduct and the judicial and legislative responses to this problem. It offers some reflections on whether the courts and Parliament have got it right or whether there is more that we can do to help jurors perform their roles. 

Nicola Monaghan is a Principal Lecturer in Law at the University of Worcester. She has been teaching law for over 20 years and she specialises in Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Evidence. Nicola's research interests include jury misconduct and the criminal trial, and she has published journal articles and edited collections on the jury. Her work has been cited widely by academics and by the Law Commission. Her most recent publications can be found in Contemporary Challenges in the Jury System: A Comparative Perspective (Routledge, 2024).