Prompt: Under British and Australian laws a jury in a criminal case has no access to information about the defendant's past criminal record. This protects the person who is being accused of the crime. Some lawyers have suggested that this practice should be changed and that a jury should be given all the past facts before they reach their decision about the case. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

In England and Australia, it is often argued that the jury in a criminal section does not have the past records of the criminals as it protects the defendants. On the other hand, there are some lawyers who give their suggestions that there must have previous records about the criminals so that the jury can reach a right decision. I completely agree with this and think that past history helps a lot to get a right judgement. Ċ First of all, I believe that it is beneficial to have past records so that they do not have any prejudiced decisions. Even if someone committing crime, but their past records are not considered, then there will be a chance to create the crime again. For example, a girl murdered a man because of rescue herself from the rape. If the judges do not know the truth, then, in this case, the girl will get severe punishment, it may be life imprisonment or death sentence. That is why, it is more important to know the previous conditions of the criminals so that proper judgement is possible. Ċ Secondly, before giving judgement to anyone's life, judges always take into consideration about the accused social background, upbringing, education, character, mental health status etc. On the other hand, these things will help to achieve a proper decision. For instance, a recent study in India showed that 18 years old teenager who robbed his father and then murdered him. After knowing all the things, the fact came into light that the boy was mentally ill. He even did not know what he was doing. Thus, it is better to give him mental treatment rather than giving punishment by law. Ċ In conclusion, it is evident from the above arguments that the jury must be aware of the past records of the accused to make judgements without flaws.