Hung jury
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A hung jury is a jury whose required majority can not reach or agree upon a unanimous verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is deadlocked with irreconcilable differences of opinion.
In the United States, the result is a mistrial, and the case may be retried.
In jurisdictions giving the litigants a choice of jury size (as between a six-person and twelve-person jury), defense counsel in both civil and criminal cases frequently opt for the larger number of jurors, the saying being "it takes only one to hang," and a hung jury being regarded as the next best thing to a defense verdict.
One method of dealing with the difficulties associated with hung juries has been the introduction of majority verdicts. This measure allows juries to convict defendants without unanimous agreements amongst the jurors. Hence, a 12-member jury that would otherwise be deadlocked at 11 for conviction and 1 against, would be recorded as a guilty verdict for the defendant. The rationale for majority verdicts usually includes arguments involving so-called 'rogue jurors' who unreasonably impede the course of justice. Opponents of the introduction of majority verdicts argue that it undermines public confidence in criminal justice systems and results in a higher number of individuals convicted of crimes they did not commit. Template:Law-stub