Criminal Juries in the 21st Century

Psychological Science and the Law

Edited by Cynthia Najdowski and Margaret Stevenson

American Psychology-Law Society Series

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
Provides 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
Identifies how social science research can inform law and policy relevant to improving justice within the jury system

Criminal Juries in the 21st Century

Psychological Science and the Law

Edited by Cynthia Najdowski and Margaret Stevenson

American Psychology-Law Society Series

Description

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.

Criminal Juries in the 21st Century

Psychological Science and the Law

Edited by Cynthia Najdowski and Margaret Stevenson

American Psychology-Law Society Series

Chapter 1 Criminal Juries in the 21st Century: A Case-Study Introduction to Contemporary Issues
Margaret C. Stevenson and Cynthia J. Najdowski
PART I: Societal Changes in Attitudes: Implications for Jury Selection and Decision Making
Chapter 2 Jury Selection in the Post-Batson Era
Barbara O'Brien and Catherine M. Grosso
Chapter 3 Diminishing Support for the Death Penalty: Implications for Fair Capital Case Outcomes
Amelia Courtney Hritz, Caisa Elizabeth Royer, and Valerie P. Hans
Chapter 4 LGBTQ in the Courtroom: How Sexuality and Gender Identity Impact the Jury System
Jordan Blair Woods
Chapter 5 Implicit Jury Bias: Are Informational Interventions Effective?
Anna Roberts
Chapter 6 In the Aftermath of Ferguson: Jurors' Perceptions of the Police and Court Legitimacy Then and Now
Lindsey M. Cole
PART II: Technological Changes and Challenges: New Sources of Influence on Juror Decisions
Chapter 7 The Impact of Legally Relevant Media Exposure on Criminal Juror Decision Making
Jennifer L. Groscup
Chapter 8 Pre- and Midtrial Publicity in the Age of Internet and Social Media
Tarika Daftary-Kapur and Steven D. Penrod
Chapter 9 The Psychology of Surveillance and Sousveillance Video Evidence
Neal R. Feigenson and Christina O. Spiesel
Chapter 10 Do Video Recordings Help Jurors Recognize Coercive Influences in Interrogations?
Iris Blandón-Gitlin and Amelia Mindthoff
Chapter 11 Neuroscience and Jury Decision Making
Shelby Hunter, N. J. Schweitzer, and Jillian M. Ware
PART III: Emotion and the Contemporary Jury
Chapter 12 The Role of Emotion and Motivation in Jury Decision Making
Colin Holloway and Richard L. Wiener
Chapter 13 How Does Jury Service Affect 21st-Century Jurors?
Sarah A. Trescher, Monica K. Miller, and Brian H. Bornstein
Part IV: Conclusion
Chapter 14 Coping with Modern Challenges and Anticipating the Future of Criminal Jury Trials
Shari Seidman Diamond

Criminal Juries in the 21st Century

Psychological Science and the Law

Edited by Cynthia Najdowski and Margaret Stevenson

American Psychology-Law Society Series

Author Information

Edited by Cynthia Najdowski, Assistant Professor, School of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, and Edited by Margaret Stevenson, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Evansville

Cynthia J. Najdowski is an Assistant Professor at the University at Albany. Her research explores how social psychological phenomena shape criminal justice interactions in ways that produce miscarriages of justice for minorities, women, and children. Her work has been recognized with several national grants and awards and published in the top-ranked journals in the field of psychology and law. She also co-edited Children as Victims, Witnesses, and Offenders: Psychological Science and the Law.

Margaret C. Stevenson is an Associate Professor at the University of Evansville. She has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters related to factors that shape juror decision making and the nature of jury deliberations. She also explores perceptions of marginalized individuals, including children and minorities, who enter the legal system, either as victims or as perpetrators of crime. Her research has received grants and awards from divisions of the American Psychological Association.

Contributors:

Iris Blandón-Gitlin, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
California State University, Fullerton

Brian H. Bornstein, Ph.D., M.L.S.
Department of Psychology
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Lindsey M. Cole, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
University of New Hampshire

Tarika Daftary-Kapur, Ph.D.
School of Criminal Justice, Political Science, and International Studies
Fairleigh Dickinson University

Shari Seidman Diamond, J.D., Ph.D.
School of Law
Northwestern University

Neal R. Feigenson, J.D.
School of Law
Quinnipiac University

Jennifer L. Groscup, J.D., Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
Scripps College

Catherine M. Grosso, J.D.
College of Law
Michigan State University

Valerie P. Hans, Ph.D.
Cornell Law School
Cornell University

Colin Holloway, J.D.
Department of Psychology
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Amelia Courtney Hritz
Cornell Law School
Cornell University

Shelby Hunter
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Arizona State University

Monica K. Miller, J.D., Ph.D.
Department of Criminal Justice
University of Nevada, Reno

Amelia Mindthoff, M.A.
Department of Psychology
Florida International University

Cynthia J. Najdowski, Ph.D.
School of Criminal Justice
University at Albany

Barbara O'Brien, J.D., Ph.D.
College of Law
Michigan State University

Steven D. Penrod, J.D., Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Anna Roberts, J.D.
School of Law
Seattle University

Caisa Elizabeth Royer
Cornell Law School
Cornell University

N. J. Schweitzer, Ph.D.
School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Arizona State University

Christina O. Spiesel, M.A.
School of Law
Yale University

Margaret C. Stevenson, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
University of Evansville

Sarah A. Trescher
Department of Psychology
University of Nevada, Reno

Jillian M. Ware
Arizona Office of the Auditor General

Richard L. Wiener, Ph.D., M.L.S.
Department of Psychology
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Jordan Blair Woods, J.D., Ph.D.
School of Law
University of Arkansas

Criminal Juries in the 21st Century

Psychological Science and the Law

Edited by Cynthia Najdowski and Margaret Stevenson

American Psychology-Law Society Series

From Our Blog

How video may influence juror decision-making for police defendants

In recent years, these videos [depicting police brutality] have become increasingly available to the public and widely disseminated, fueling the launch of the Black Lives Matter movement demanding justice for minority victims of police violence. Yet, little research has explored how video is impacting juries when police actually go to trial as defendants.

Posted on December 10, 2018

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How video may influence juror decision-making for police defendants

In recent years, these videos [depicting police brutality] have become increasingly available to the public and widely disseminated, fueling the launch of the Black Lives Matter movement demanding justice for minority victims of police violence. Yet, little research has explored how video is impacting juries when police actually go to trial as defendants.

Posted on December 3, 2018

Read the blog post