Scientific Jury Selection

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 evaluation of the ultimate effectiveness of these methods. This critique is based upon an examination of the social science literature.

Psychologists and other social scientists as well as practicing trial consultants who read the book should gain a better understanding of the current state of research relevant to scientific jury selection, and areas where new research needs to be conducted to advance the field. Attorneys who read the book should be better able to decide whether or not to hire consultants to assist in future litigation, and if so, what types of services these consultants should provide.

1. History and Overview of the Scientific Jury Selection Process
2. The Purpose and Effectiveness of the Voir Dire
3. Community Surveys
4. The Influence of Demographic Factors
5. The Influence of Personality and Attitudes
6. In-Court Questioning of Prospective Jurors
7. In-Court Observations of Nonverbal Behavior
8. Overall Effectiveness of Scientific Jury Selection
9. Additional Trial Consulting Techniques That Aid Jury Selection
10. Ethical and Professional Issues In Scientific Jury Selection
11. Future Directions for Scientific Jury Selection

References

Table of Authorities

Author Index

Subject Index

About the Authors

Read a review of this title from the PsycCritiques^® database (PDF, 27KB)opens in new window

Scientific Jury Selection, by Joel Lieberman and Bruce Sales, is a welcome addition to the body of work on this topic. The book reviews the existing research on jury selection and is an excellent resource for any attorney interested in understanding the limited scientific research on jury selection.
—TRIAL

[Scientific Jury Selection] is a masterful presentation of a fascinating albeit highly technical topic. The authors are objective commentators who weigh their opinions against empirical evidence from the legal and behavioral sciences arenas. They have significantly advanced the domain of psychology and the law with this comprehensive, reasoned, and articulate book.
—New England Psychologist

Although jury consulting has been in existence for years, only recently has enough research become available that allows for the evaluation of its usefulness in the real world. This timely book expands on the existing literature by providing a one-stop guide to jury selection and critiquing relative strengths of the social science research.
—Criminal Justice Review