NCJ Number
89763
Date Published
1982
Length
44 pages
Annotation
This article describes the fundamental principles governing jury selection -- the requirements that juries be representative, drawn from the local community, and impartial -- and reviews the reasons -- historical, legal, and psychological -- for each of these requirements.
Abstract
It focuses on three areas of concern in jury selection: drawing a representative jury panel, obtaining changes of venue, and selection of individual jurors. The text portrays the psychological issues involved in each of these areas and reviews the relevant literature. The authors identify gaps in knowledge about jury selection and suggested avenues of research which can produce the data needed to fill those gaps. They note that sometimes the conceptual and methodological approaches used in these studies lag behind more current developments in the field of personality and social psychology. For example, they suggest that both statistical and psychological studies should be conducted to determine why the jury panel is seldom a representative cross section of the community. They also note that psychological data marshaled to support motions for change of venue have been unsuccessful, perhaps because the surveys were poorly conceptualized. Psychologists can also play a role in determining the effectiveness of standard juror examination and challenge techniques. Over 100 references are cited.