What Is Jury Deliberating?

Deliberation is a process of thoughtfully weighing options, usually prior to voting. ... In legal settings a jury famously uses deliberation because it is given specific options, like guilty or not guilty, along with information and arguments to evaluate.

What happens when a jury is deliberating?

Jury deliberation is the process by which a jury in a trial in court discusses in private the findings of the court and decides with which argument to agree upon. ... The presiding juror presides over discussions and votes of the jurors, and often delivers the verdict.

What does it mean when a jury is deadlocked?

When there are insufficient jurors voting one way or the other to deliver either a guilty or not guilty verdict, the jury is known as a “hung jury” or it might be said that jurors are “deadlocked”. ... If a verdict still cannot be delivered, at some point the judge will declare a mistrial due to the hung jury.