NCJ Number
95762
Date Published
1984
Length
248 pages
Annotation
Indepth interviews with jurors, lawyers, and judges, along with anecdotes drawn from personal experience, are the basis for a journalistic examination of the jury system, including the election process, juror decisionmaking, voir dire, and jury research.
Abstract
A brief history of the jury system traces its origins from classical Athens through its role in English and American law. The author uses her observations of a trial in New York City, involving two men accused of distributing child pornography, to illustrate the workings of the jury system, its strengths, and problems. Areas explored include the prosecution's and defense's selection or rejection of jurors, the judge's decisions on evidence, and how the jury reached its verdict. Criticisms of the jury system are discussed, as are variations in rules governing jury size and verdict unaninimity among Federal, State, and local courts. The book analyzes factors that affect jury selection, including candidates' viewpoints, the cost to serve on a jury, and attorneys' tactics in selecting a jury. Voir dire techniques are illustrated using the 1983 Brinks trial and a retrial of a homicide, the People of the State of New York v. Ricky A. Knapp. The book also examines the successes and failures of jury research in recent cases, criticism of the preemptory challenge, the jury's power to override the law, and the jury's role in complex civil litigation. Finally, the author supports the jury system but suggests reforms to produce informed, representative, and active-minded jurors. An index is supplied.