"Given the importance of trial consultants to the modern-day practice of law, Scientific Jury Selection is designed to be informative for psychologists, other professionals interested in trial consulting (e.g., sociologists, communication experts, marketing researchers, psychiatrists, and social workers), and attorneys. The authors provide a thorough review of the most common techniques used to select jurors and a critical, social-science-based evaluation of the ultimate effectiveness of these methods. The nature and mechanics of the voir dire process, the use of community surveys, and the influence of demographic factors on scientific jury selection are among the many topics given a close examination by the two authors, who are pioneers in the field. Psychologists and other social scientists as well as practicing trial consultants who read the book will gain a better understanding of the current state of research relevant to scientific jury selection, emerging trends, and areas in which new research needs to be conducted to advance the field. Attorneys who read the book will be better positioned to decide whether to hire consultants to assist in future litigation, and if so, what types of services these consultants should provide"--Jacket. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

While jury decision making has received considerable attention from social scientists, there have been few efforts to systematically pull together all the pieces of this research. In Jury Decision Making, Dennis J. Devine examines over 50 years of research on juries and offers a "big picture" overview of the field. The volume summarizes existing theories of jury decision making and identifies what we have learned about jury behavior, including the effects of specific courtroom practices, the nature of the trial, the characteristics of the participants, and the evidence itself. Making use of those foundations, Devine offers a new integrated theory of jury decision making that addresses both individual jurors and juries as a whole and discusses its ramifications for the courts. Providing a unique combination of broad scope, extensive coverage of the empirical research conducted over the last half century, and theory advancement, this accessible and engaging volume offers "one-stop shopping" for scholars, students, legal professionals, and those who simply wish to better understand how well the jury system works.

In this timely volume, the authors provide a penetrating analysis of the institutional mechanisms perpetuating the related problems of minorities' disenfranchisement and their underrepresentation on juries.

Jury selection is the process by which attorneys remove people from the jury pool whom they judge to be undesirable, presumably because they fear that the potential juror would be biased against their side. This book reviews the law governing attorneys' decisions to remove potential jurors from jury service, including laws prohibiting the systematic removal of particular categories of people from the jury.

A pragmatic guide to a growing area of professional practice, this book describes the multiple roles of the trial consultant and provides tools for carrying them out competently and ethically. Leading authority Stanley Brodsky uses examples from actual trials and depositions to illustrate how knowledge and skills from psychology and related fields are applied in the legal context. He shows how to use scientific methods and findings to assist with jury selection, help attorneys focus their arguments, prepare witnesses for the rigors of cross-examination, and conduct change of venue evaluations. The examples are drawn from a wide range of civil and criminal cases. In addition to behavioral scientists, legal professionals also will find important insights and strategies in this book.

The Jury Under Fire reviews a number of controversial beliefs about juries that have persisted in recent years as well as the implications of these views for jury reform efforts. Each chapter focuses on a mistaken assumption or myth about jurors or juries, critiques the myth, and then uses social science research findings to suggest appropriate reforms.

Hastie, Reid and Steven D. Penrod, Nancy Pennington. Inside the Jury. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1983. viii, 277 pp. Reprinted 2002 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. LCCN 2002025963. ISBN 1-58477-269-7. Cloth. $95. * "A landmark jury study." Contemporary Sociology. An important statistical study of the dynamics of jury selection and deliberation that offers a realistic jury simulation model, a statistical analysis of the personal characteristics of jurors, and a general assessment of jury performance based on research findings conducted by reputed scholars in the behavioral sciences. "The book will stand as the third great product of social research into jury operations, ranking with Kalven and Zeisel's The American Jury and Van Dyke's Jury Selection Procedures." American Bar Association Journal.

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.