The juror role in Maltese criminal trials : a narrative inquiry

Abstract

This study unravels the stories of individuals who were given the juror role in Maltese criminal trials. It aims to explore how the juror role is adopted, navigated, and negotiated in interaction with other role players in the criminal justice system [CJS], how jurors construct meaning out of their role in view of their past/present/future selves, and how the juror role is impacted by the situated context of the Maltese CJS. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with six participants were conducted, and data was interpreted using narrative inquiry. Interpretive stories were constructed, and an analysis using a three-dimensional model of experience and social constructionist/symbolic interactionist role theories was carried out. Findings showed that the CJS context tasked participants with fulfilling great responsibilities despite several drawbacks, including a lack of agency, a sense of urgency and questionable audience segregation. Adopting the juror role involved ambiguous transitions, in which participants’ pretrial roles and knowledge led to role conflict, congruence and expansion. Relinquishing the juror role also required transitions characterised by positive and negative post-trial reactions. Participants performed the juror role while evaluating the performances of others in court. The level and quality of interaction with other role players influenced participants’ perspectives on their jury experiences. These findings highlighted that the adoption and enactment of the juror role is a complex process guided by jurors’ individualities, dynamics with other role players, and the CJS context. This study has value as it makes several recommendations for policy, practice development, and further research.