Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows. Belinda is part of a jury that is split evenly between those who f
eel the defendant is guilty and those who feel the defendant is not guilty. If the jury cannot decide on a verdict, a mistrial will be declared. During the next vote, Belinda changes her vote from guilty to not guilty. As a result of the first shift scheme, what would be the likely effect of Belinda’s vote? A. The jury will declare the defendant to be not guilty. B. The jury will declare the defendant to be guilty. C. The jury will be unable to make a declaration of guilt. D. The jury will decide to remove Belinda’s vote from the outcome. Please select the best answer from the choices provided A B C D
The correct answer is A: The jury will declare the defendant to be not guilty.
Explanation:
Because since the jury is split half and half, when Belinda changes her vote, it makes the other half, the one who declares the defendant not guilty, have more votes. Therefore, the defendant will be declared not guilty.
