JURY COURT: A thermometer of Brazilian violence and justice

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.2164242426113

• Palavras-chave: Jury Tribunal; efficiency; Law 11.689/08; Anti-Crime Package.

• Keywords: Jury Tribunal; efficiency; Law 11.689/08; Anti-Crime Package.

• Abstract:

  This paper analyzes the Jury Tribunal in Brazil, highlighting its historical and contemporary importance. The study covers the origins of the Jury Tribunal from Ancient Rome to its implementation in Brazil, passing through Greece, England and the United States. It explores the constitutional principles that govern the Jury Court in Brazil, such as the fullness of defense, the secrecy of votes, the sovereignty of verdicts and the competence to judge crimes against life. It also discusses the innovations brought about by Law 11.689/08, which introduced the unified hearing and the direct examination of witnesses, and by Law 13.964/19 (Anti-Crime Package), which brought the possibility of audiovisual recording of testimony and the review of decisions by the Court of Justice. It also presents statistics on the effectiveness of the Jury Court in Brazil, highlighting National Jury Week and National Jury Month, which aim to speed up trials of crimes against life. It concludes that, despite its importance, the Jury Court faces significant challenges, such as the slow pace of trials and the backlog of pending cases, suggesting the need for new measures to improve its efficiency.