... better arbiters of fact than a jury. On the other hand disadvantages of this method of trial would be that the judge could be case hardened and prosecution-minded and it places a heavy burden on the judge as he has to make all of the decisions. With juries there are twelve people and this aids the elimination of any bias but with a single judge individual prejudices are more likely. The public also has less confidence in the use of judges to decide serious criminal cases; they have faith in the jury system. Another possible alternative to the jury system would be to have a panel of three or five judges sitting together to hear cases. This is better than the previous alternative in the way that a bench of judges allow for a balance of views instead of one person deciding the verdict. It also allows for the judges ...

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