The idea of the conference

Trial by Jury: Story of a Legal Transplant

“…Thaman () subsequently organized a remarkable international meeting in Siracusa, Italy, to examine the diverse approaches taken around the world in using laypersons as legal decision makers. At the Siracusa conference, “Lay Participation in the Criminal Trial in the Twenty‐First Century,” more than 50 scholars, judges, and lawyers from over 28 countries presented and discussed the global picture of citizen involvement as legal decision makers.…”

“…At the Siracusa conference, “Lay Participation in the Criminal Trial in the Twenty‐First Century,” more than 50 scholars, judges, and lawyers from over 28 countries presented and discussed the global picture of citizen involvement as legal decision makers. Thaman and others organized the publication of conference papers in several different outlets (Thaman ). For me, the Siracusa conference was a remarkable experience that shook up some of my thinking about laypersons and the law.…”

Jury Systems Around the World

“…At the Siracusa conference, "Lay Participation in the Criminal Trial in the Twenty-First Century," scholars, judges, and lawyers from more than 28 countries exchanged information about citizen involvement in criminal justice decision making worldwide. Conference papers were later published in several outlets (Maier et al 2000;Thaman 2001Thaman , 2002b. Further scholarly exchange has been facilitated by regular meetings of a collaborative research network devoted to the study of lay participation in legal decision making (Hans 2003Thaman 2002b).…”