Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Juries And Social Media: A Report Prepared For The Victorian Department Of Justice, Jane Johnston, Patrick Keyzer, Geoffry Holland, Mark Pearson, Sharon Rodrick, Anne Wallace

Anne Wallace Professor

Introduction: It is a fundamental principle of law that an accused has a right to a fair trial. An incident of this right is that information relating to prior convictions of an accused should not be made available to the jury as it may bias their verdict. In our legal system, this principle has traditionally been underpinned by the common law offence of sub judice contempt of court. It is also reinforced by legislation, in each State and Territory, which makes it an offence for a juror to enquire about a person who is a party to a trial or …