Jury Duty

An Introduction
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-15111-1
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 270 Seiten, Format (B × H): 178 mm x 254 mm

This book provides the reader with an introduction to the jury system in the United States. It provides a brief historical account of the origins of juries and compares juries in the federal versus state court systems, and a grand jury versus a trial jury. The text offers answers to the most frequently asked questions that prospective jurors and students have about the steps of jury duty, from receiving the juror summons to rendering a final verdict. Through this easy-to-digest overview, the reader will gain an appreciation for the intended purpose of the American jury and develop a better understanding of how shifting social norms, over the past 250 years, have impacted the decision-making powers granted to the jury. Each chapter features contemporary research findings about juries, learning objectives, review and discussion questions, ethical considerations, summary tables, and features focusing on news, fun facts, court decisions, and reflections from working professionals. The book is written for students the social and behavioral sciences, including criminal justice and administrative justice, law, policy and society, psychology, psychology and law, race and gender studies, political science, sociology, social work, and prelaw courses; for legal professionals and law students, who frequent courthouses and prepare legal documents, briefs, trial evidence, and defendant or victim testimonies for litigation; and, of course, this book will appeal to prospective and former jurors.

Zielgruppe

Adult education and Undergraduate Core

Autoren/Hrsg.

Antonio, Michael E.

Hannaford-Agor, Paula L.

Fachgebiete

• Rechtswissenschaften Strafrecht Kriminologie, Strafverfolgung
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Kriminalsoziologie
• Rechtswissenschaften Allgemeines Verfahrens-, Zivilprozess- und Insolvenzrecht Allgemeines Prozessrecht, Kostenrecht
• Rechtswissenschaften Strafrecht Strafverfahrens- und -prozessrecht, Strafverteidigung und Opferschutz

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Part I: Purpose – Origin, Intention, and Implementation

1. The Seeds of Trial by Jury
2. It’s in the Constitution
3. Grand Juries in Federal and State Courts
4. Trial Juries in the Federal and State Court Systems

Part II: Structure – Reporting, Selecting, Instructing, and Deliberating

5. Eligibility, Qualifications, and FAQs
6. Reporting for Jury Duty and Voir Dire
7. Juror Comprehension and Decion-Making
8. Jury Deliberation and Trial Outcome

Part III: Future – Reaction and Projection

9. Verdict Rendered and the Jury Experience
10. A Jury in Jeopardy

Über Autor(innen)

Michael E. Antonio is a Professor of Criminal Justice at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Ursinus College and his Ph.D. in Law, Policy, and Society from Northeastern University. He served as the Lead Research Scientist on the Capital Jury Project with Dr. William J. Bowers from 2001–2005. Some of his publications related to juries appeared in Wash. & Lee L. Rev., Boston University L. Rev., Judicature, Behavioral Sciences & the Law, and Justice System Journal.

Paula Hannaford-Agor was director of the Center for Jury Studies at the National Center for State Courts from 2006–2025. In that capacity, she regularly conducted research and provided technical assistance and education to judges, court staff, and lawyers on the topics of jury system management and jury trial procedures. She has authored or contributed to numerous books and articles on the American jury, including Jury Trial Innovations (2nd edition, 2006), The Promise and Challenges of Jury System Technology (NCSC 2003), and Managing Notorious Trials (1998). She received her law degree and a Master of Public Policy degree from the College of William & Mary in 1995 and her Bachelor of Arts in Government & Politics from George Mason University in 1991.