As trial by jury is expanding across Georgia and covering more types of crimes, one question is gaining increasing importance – whether Georgians fully understand the reform, which to this point has expanded to seven cities and covers nearly 30 crimes in the Criminal Code. Without a well-informed public, progress of the reform will likely face serious challenges, such as citizens’ reluctance to participate, lengthy and costly selection procedures, and increased public support for the political opposition to the reform. Jury reform also remains a politically challenging process. Government support remains weak, exacerbated by skepticism from the courts. As a result, the reform is poorly funded and few, if any, efforts are made to educate the public. Furthermore, the jury receives little attention in the curriculum of Georgian law schools. The media is still not prepared for informed coverage of actual trials and is easily manipulated by opponents of the reform. This chapter addresses these and other problems faced by the Georgian jury and discusses risks that can hamper the development of the institution and discredit its value in the eyes of the public.

Trial by jury in Russia is an ongoing legal and political experiment that has been carried out for the last 155 years. Throughout this period several governments in Russia attempted to use the jury trial to legitimize courts in the eyes of citizens by involving them in the administration of justice. At the same time, the government exercised close control over lay participation through various legislative and judicial mechanisms. We analyze legislative changes affecting the jury over the course of its history in Russia and we identify and examine three main controlling mechanisms. These include the relationship between the Russian government and the jury trial; the change in types of cases that juries can hear in Russia, especially in relation to crimes against the state; the diminishing role of the defense with respect to juries; and the increasing role of the government in influencing jury composition. This chapter also explores the significance of adversarial and inquisitorial elements of the Russian jury trial in Tsarist and modern times.