Final answer:
Communicating with a juror or prospective juror after discharge is prohibited due to the need to maintain the impartiality and the integrity of the verdict, as well as to uphold the transparency and trust in the judicial system.
Step-by-step explanation:
Communicating with a juror or prospective juror after the discharge of the jury is generally prohibited because the impartiality of the jury is a crucial aspect of a fair trial, as enshrined in the Sixth Amendment. During the trial, jurors deliberate in secret, and their decision—whether to convict or to acquit—must be unanimous. Once the jury has been discharged, any attempt to communicate with them could be seen as an effort to influence their past decision or to discuss aspects of the case that should remain confidential.
Moreover, cases like "Making a Murderer" have stressed the importance of transparency and the role of civic duty in observing the legal process. Jury duty, despite being sometimes inconvenient, is a crucial part of citizen participation in the judicial system. Post-trial communication with jurors could potentially undermine the public confidence in the jury's verdict and, by extension, the trust in the judicial system as a whole.
It is important to understand that jurors are expected to be a "blank slate," free from prejudices, during the trial. Post-trial outreach to jurors could be construed as a violation of this expectation and hence, is typically prohibited. Notably, if a case is high-profile with significant media attention, jurors could be more susceptible to external influences, increasing the importance of maintaining their post-trial privacy and upholding the integrity of their service.