> The jury dynamics presented in 12 Angry Men could easily mirror a real life jury situation so if you have never served on a jury before, the following is some basic information about how a jury is selected and what their official responsibilities are.

> A jury pool is randomly selected by pulling a United States citizen's information from a database of driver's license and registered voters information that live in the judicial district. Only police, firefighters, active duty members of the armed forces and full time public offices are exempt from jury service. Twelve jurors, and sometimes alternates, are chosen based on their answers in a questioning process known as the voir dire. It is imperative that the jury is composed of men and women "possessed of sound judgment, absolute honesty, and a complete sense of fairness."

> It is the responsibility of the jury to decide the facts of a case. The prosecution has the burden of proof and must present the facts to the jury "beyond a reasonable doubt." As a juror you are tasked with keeping an open mind, sworn to disregard your prejudices and follow only the courts instructions. Unlike in 12 Angry Men when Juror #8 went to the defendant's neighborhood and bought a similar knife to the one used in the murder, jurors are instructed to never visit the scene of the crime or discuss the case with anyone except the jury members during their allotted time in court. After deliberating the jury is tasked with unanimously finding the defendant guilty or not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If a jury cannot come to a unanimous decision after a valid amount of deliberation it is considered a "hung jury" and the case is declared a mistrial and the case may be retried.

> For more information on the U.S. Judiciary visit United States Courts