structural:expansion
Punishment

The Act makes it an offence for jurors to ‘research the case during the trial period’, to ‘disclose information to another member of the jury during the trial period’, and to engage in ‘conduct from which it may reasonably be concluded that the intends to try the issue otherwise than on the basis of the evidence presented in the proceedings on the issue’. Those found guilty of one of the new offences will be liable to imprisonment for up to two years, and will be disqualified from further service for a decade. What distinguishes these new offences from the existing option of using contempt proceedings is the fact jurors would now be proceeded against on indictment: that they would be tried by their peers for alleged misconduct. This represents a significant change in juror management techniques, as it is probable that criminal trial jurors accused of misconduct have never been tried in this way.