“It’s in the law”: An ethnographic account of the effects of the introduction of lay participation on judicial bureaucracies in Greater Buenos Aires

Amietta, Santiago Abel; Barrera, Leticia

doi:10.35295/osls.iisl.1793

“It’s in the law”: An ethnographic account of the effects of the introduction of lay participation on judicial bureaucracies in Greater Buenos Aires

Amietta, Santiago Abel; Barrera, Leticia

Authors

Santiago Abel Amietta s.amietta@keele.ac.uk

Leticia Barrera

Abstract

The province of Buenos Aires (Argentina) introduced its first criminal jury system in 2013. This article discusses the design and initial findings of an ethnographic research project looking at this legal innovation with particular attention to the effects of the introduction of new (lay) actors – and their practices, knowledges, experiences – to the criminal justice system, bringing to the analysis rules, spaces, temporalities and people that are bound by this phenomenon. Focusing on the initial stages of the process – the draw and summoning of prospective jurors and jury selection hearings –, we discuss how material and temporal constraints to fulfil the legal mandate of incorporating lay decision-makers give place to the reshaping and (re)creation of certain roles and positions within the bureaucratic structure. We argue that the jury has become a spectral presence that alters a myriad of existing practices, characters and responsibilities in the criminal justice of Buenos Aires that goes well beyond their verdicts.

Citation

Amietta, S. A., & Barrera, L. (in press). “It’s in the law”: An ethnographic account of the effects of the introduction of lay participation on judicial bureaucracies in Greater Buenos Aires. Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 13(S1), S199-S224. https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.1793

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Dec 13, 2023
Online Publication Date	Dec 20, 2023
Deposit Date	Feb 1, 2024
Publicly Available Date	Feb 1, 2024
Journal	Oñati Socio-Legal Series
Print ISSN	2079-5971
Publisher	Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law Foundation
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	13
Issue	S1
Pages	S199-S224
DOI	https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.1793
Keywords	Law; Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Publisher URL	https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/1793

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Copyright (c) 2023 Santiago Abel Amietta, Leticia Barrera

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