Arguably the most important thing that was explained was how reasonable doubt and the burden of proof works, and how that would affect our view of everything to come. No, when it comes to criminal law, these cases must be proved beyond reasonable doubt, which means that if a lawyer can introduce some reasonable doubt, you are instructed to afford the benefit of this doubt to the accused. That's why not guilty doesn't always mean innocent. That's why "beyond reasonable doubt" means that women sometimes go through all this, and end up without a conviction, but can still be telling the truth. Sometimes, when you are on a jury, doing the thing right doesn't feel very much like the right thing to do.

Source: Irish Independent March 30, 2018 05:35 UTC