AC2.4 Assess key influences affecting the outcomes of criminal cases

Barristers and legal teams - *Legal teams can influence the outcome of a criminal case as jurors take their arguments and evidence into account when deciding a verdict. *Barristers work at higher levels of court than solicitors and they wear wigs and gowns in court. *Their role is to speak on behalf of their clients, either for the defence or prosecution, each trying to persuade the jurors- factors such as the barrister's skills and characteristics can affect the outcome of a case e.g. jury more likely to side with a barrister who is persuasive when presenting the evidence and who shows charisma. *This will usually be the case with more experienced barristers, who are highly paid meaning that the rich will be able to afford better representation during trials. *The impact of this is that the rich are more likely to get the jury's verdict in their favour whilst the poor may not have the same chance due to not being able to afford the same representation. Evidence - *In criminal trials, the accused are innocent until proven guilty. *The prosecution carries the burden of having to prove their guilt 'beyond all reasonable doubt' whilst the defence has to prove that the prosecution's arguments are insufficient for a conviction. *Evidence has a significant impact on the verdict that the jury comes back with. If the jury has any doubt about whether or not the accused is guilty, they must come back with a guilty verdict. *Therefore, if the evidence is insufficient or flawed, there is a high chance of the jury passing a non guilty verd