The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-02-08
seKfepS-HowARL
A jury Reform

Proposed change in the jury Syste INTO provide for
verdicts by ten of the twelve jurors is unfortunately
limited to civil cases where money is involved
The same change should be made in the criminal
courts if the state is to have chance to protect itself
from the growing crime industry
I9sS jury system is the only safeguard which society
has y44 been able to devise as protection against
injustice and oppression of the innocent.
But it was planned in a day when social conditions
we're far different from those of the present time.
Early juries we're composed Of neighbors of the
accused sitting in courts where the entire citizenship
was on guard passing Judgment on those infrequent
offenders who had outraged the laws in their own
community
In such state Of society," and after long years of
judicial tyranny, unanimous verdict by twelve
peers" or equals. was necessary 1t time when
the fixing of juries by shrewd lawyers, the stutang
of jury boxes by politicians the tempting Of jurors
through brides, was unknown
Today juries are drawn from great masses of the
population in which the personal mountaineering is
small and even under the best of conditions the
chance Of obtaining jurors with regard for the dig
nifty Of law as law are not the BEST Most citizens
dodge jury duty.
Today crime is organized and its profits are tres
raendous,
With the rum runner the bootlegger, the gun man,
Che auto thief the bank bandit forming social group
as compact as secret society," the law has little chance
under the unanimous verdict operation. Only the
boobs pay.
For it may as well be recognized that organized
crime in this country employs shrewd brains. There
Is a lawyer in every city who comes Immediately to
the front when one Of the criminals happens to be
caught There are bondsnen always ready to provide
bonds.
The lawyer is carefully selected for his political
eiliations he happens to be in control OF election
machinery the gang is in much better shape.
When juries are drawn, it has happened that the
laws of chance seemingly put on some one member
who is never convinced, matter what the evidence
One Juror can always defeat justice. And every
victory Of a guilty gangster means so much more
power to crime.
The chances Of corruptng an entire jury are re-
mote The chance of corrupting one or two are not
so remote.
When ten out of twelve men convinced Of either
guilt or innocence it may be assumed that the evidence
is fairly persuasive.
To those who do not expect TO commit crime, such
4 change would have no terrors. The laW-ahlolng
would take chances of being acquitted by ten out OF
twelve votes in any case no matter if some powerful
enemy in official life should frame false charge
The laws under present conditions, are all in favor
of the criminal It is time to give the state chance
It is time to take away one of the hidden refugees for
the rats who prey upon society, which lies in the de-
mand for a unanimous verdict of twelve men,
Crime is the big problem. Fixing heay penalties
for crime never deters The criminals never expect
IN oct caught and never expect to be convicted. They
might be little more fearful they knew that getting
one sympathetic juror out of group OF twelve citizens
would no longer save them.