Jury of the Vicinage Law and Legal Definition
Jury of the vicinage means a jury from the county where the crime occurred or where the court is held. Here vicinage refers to the geographical area from which the jury is summoned. The right to be tried by a jury of the vicinage is an essential feature of jury trial. However, in most states the right of trial by a jury of the vicinage does not apply to petty offenses.
In all criminal prosecutions the accused has the right to a speedy trial by an impartial jury of the vicinage. To sustain this right three elements must meet a speedy trial, an impartial jury, and one coming from the vicinage. If any of these be omitted, the accused's constitutional right is not complete. S/he is not entitled to a delayed trial or one by a partial jury of the vicinage. The vicinage must be so composed in area as to give an impartial trial. [Commonwealth v. Reilly, 324 Pa. 558 (Pa. 1936)]
