Jury Selection In Criminal Cases

Jury Selection in Criminal Cases provides an authoritative, insiders perspective on best practices and strategies for selecting and deselecting prospective jurors in a criminal case.

... The purpose of this handbook is to acquaint trial jurors with the general nature and importance of their role as jurors; explains some of the language and procedures used in court, and offers some suggestions helpful to jurors in performing their duty ...

Jury service is one of the most important civic duties a person can undertake, yet it is often poorly understood. This booklet has been prepared in consultation with the Juries Commissioner's Office. It answers frequently asked questions about jury service and provides prospective jurors with a clear explanation of their responsibilities and the processes involved in trials. All potential jurors will receive a copy when they attend for jury service.

Here is an outstanding source that combines expert analysis of the law governing jury selection with a full and definitive explanation of all current scientific methodology employed in that process. Beginning with in-depth exploration of the legal issues in jury law today, Jury Selection, Fourth Edition goes on to provide detailed guidance--available in no other single source--on such crucial topics and procedures as: Background investigation Community attitude surveying Batson challenges Voir dire techniques and strategies Nonverbal communication With specific courtroom applications of all the relevant scientific methodology, Jury Selection, Fourth Edition is a must for the litigator who wants to use the most advanced techniques available to ensure a fair-minded and unprejudiced jury.

The jury is often hailed as one of the most important symbols of American democracy. Yet much has changed since the Sixth Amendment in 1791 first guaranteed all citizens the right to a jury trial in criminal prosecutions. Experts now have a much more nuanced understanding of the psychological implications of being a juror, and advances in technology and neuroscience make the work of rendering a decision in a criminal trial more complicated than ever before. Criminal Juries in the 21st Century explores the increasingly wide gulf between criminal trial law, procedures, and policy, and what scientific findings have revealed about the human experience of serving as a juror. Readers will contemplate myriad legal issues that arise when jurors decide criminal cases as well as cutting-edge psychological research that can be used to not only understand the performance and experience of the contemporary criminal jury, but also to improve it. Chapter authors grapple with a number of key issues at the intersection of psychology and law, guiding readers to consider everything from the factors that influence the initial selection of the jury to how jurors cope with and reflect on their service after the trial ends. Together the chapters provide a unique view of criminal juries with the goal of increasing awareness of a broad range of current issues in great need of theoretical, empirical, and legal attention. Criminal Juries in the 21st Century will identify how social science research can inform law and policy relevant to improving justice within the jury system, and is an essential resource for those who directly study jury decision making as well as social scientists generally, attorneys, judges, students, and even future jurors.

This is a valuable guide to help understand effective voir dire and jury selection strategies, and then to adapt these strategies to the unique circumstances faced in trial jurisdictions.