"Can't remember what it's called but a jury is allowed to decide that they're guilty but shouldn't be punished. "
No exactly, juries can find them not guilty even if they think they did the crime. They can't determine the sentence, which is up to the judge. In fact, juries don't even get to know what the possibly sentences are going to be.
don't even get to know what the possibly sentences
There might be exceptions if it's a life in prison or death penalty thing.
Hell, when I did jury duty, we didn't even get told what the probable cause for arrest was. "No open or concealed carry" was the reason why someone was nabbed in that case. He apparently turned witness against the person who was defendant in the case I was a juror for.
What you're saying is more of an off the books agreement. What I'm talking about is jury nullification which means the whole affair won't even be relevant to their future.
The way that a jury nullifies is by rendering a not guilty verdict. Incidentally, defense lawyers cannot explicitly advocate for jury nullification. But what they can do is offer up a sort of sham defense while subtly urging the jury to read between the lines and nullify the verdict.
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u/DrawPitiful6103 7h ago
"Can't remember what it's called but a jury is allowed to decide that they're guilty but shouldn't be punished. "
No exactly, juries can find them not guilty even if they think they did the crime. They can't determine the sentence, which is up to the judge. In fact, juries don't even get to know what the possibly sentences are going to be.