Author Biography

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 AmericanPsychological Association.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Criminal Juries in the 21st Century: A Case-Study Introduction to Contemporary IssuesMargaret C. Stevenson and Cynthia J. NajdowskiPART I: Societal Changes in Attitudes: Implications for Jury Selection and Decision MakingChapter 2 Jury Selection in the Post-Batson EraBarbara O'Brien and Catherine M. GrossoChapter 3 Diminishing Support for the Death Penalty: Implications for Fair Capital Case OutcomesAmelia Courtney Hritz, Caisa Elizabeth Royer, and Valerie P. HansChapter 4 LGBTQ in the Courtroom: How Sexuality and Gender Identity Impact the Jury SystemJordan Blair WoodsChapter 5 Implicit Jury Bias: Are Informational Interventions Effective?Anna RobertsChapter 6 In the Aftermath of Ferguson: Jurors' Perceptions of the Police and Court Legitimacy Then and NowLindsey M. ColePART II: Technological Changes and Challenges: New Sources of Influence on Juror DecisionsChapter 7 The Impact of Legally Relevant Media Exposure on Criminal Juror Decision MakingJennifer L. GroscupChapter 8 Pre- and Midtrial Publicity in the Age of Internet and Social MediaTarika Daftary-Kapur and Steven D. PenrodChapter 9 The Psychology of Surveillance and Sousveillance Video EvidenceNeal R. Feigenson and Christina O. SpieselChapter 10 Do Video Recordings Help Jurors Recognize Coercive Influences in Interrogations?Iris Blandón-Gitlin and Amelia MindthoffChapter 11 Neuroscience and Jury Decision MakingShelby Hunter, N. J. Schweitzer, and Jillian M. WarePART III: Emotion and the Contemporary JuryChapter 12 The Role of Emotion and Motivation in Jury Decision MakingColin Holloway and Richard L. WienerChapter 13 How Does Jury Service Affect 21st-Century Jurors?Sarah A. Trescher, Monica K. Miller, and Brian H. BornsteinPart IV: ConclusionChapter 14 Coping with Modern Challenges and Anticipating the Future of Criminal Jury TrialsShari Seidman Diamond

Review

"...fascinating book..." -- Katelyn Rinker, Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology"Serves as a superb resource for scholars or students who are new to the field of behavioral law or criminal psychology."-- Choice"Cynthia Najdowski and Margaret Stevenson have brought together an impressive set of new and established scholars to explore the key challenges facing 21st-century criminal juries. From concerns about lingering racism and implicit bias to questions about the impact of cutting-edge technologies, this volume masterfully interweaves actual cases, social science research, and legal analysis. The result is a highly useful compendium of what we know and what we stillneed to learn to help future juries navigate these challenges."-- Edie Greene, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs"Recognizing that the jury system imagined in the late 18th century reflects a mere shadow of what contemporary juries face, Cynthia Najdowski and Margaret Stevenson, and the impressive experts they assembled, have done much to move the scholarship of juries into the here-and-now. This must-read book tackles important issues playing out in today's courtrooms including those relevant to LGBQT individuals, implicit biases, testilying, neuroscientific evidence,video recordings, and many more significant challenges. Using engaging real-world cases to illustrate issues, this book is destined to become the go-to classic for those who study, appeal to, or sit onjuries."-- Allison Redlich, PhD, Professor of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University"Najdowski and Stevenson's Criminal Juries in the 21st Century reflects a contemporary and thorough review of psychological science applied to the jury system. The editors brought together an all-star cast of scholars, including psychologists and law professors, to review the scientific and policy issues associated with classic research issues such as juror selection and bias as well as modern and emerging issues such as jury use of ubiquitous videorecordings and neuroscience evidence. Each chapter provides an in-depth review of the contemporary issues and research. The contributions of the volume as a whole are elegantly summarized and integrated in thefinal chapter by Shari Seidman Diamond. This volume will be immensely useful to the newest and the more seasoned followers of jury science."-- Brian L. Cutler, PhD, University of Ontario Institute of Technology"Written by a terrific mix of seasoned and emerging jury scholars, the chapters in this volume provide a comprehensive exploration of how recent shifts in societal attitudes and ongoing technological developments influence the work of the criminal jury. Readers are sure to come away with new insights that will invigorate their investigations into jury behavior."-- Margaret Bull Kovera, PhD, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

Promotional

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.

Long 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 uniqueview 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 futurejurors.

Review Text

"...fascinating book..." -- Katelyn Rinker, Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology"Serves as a superb resource for scholars or students who are new to the field of behavioral law or criminal psychology." -- Choice"Cynthia Najdowski and Margaret Stevenson have brought together an impressive set of new and established scholars to explore the key challenges facing 21st-century criminal juries. From concerns about lingering racism and implicit bias to questions about the impact of cutting-edge technologies, this volume masterfully interweaves actual cases, social science research, and legal analysis. The result is a highly useful compendium of what we know and what we stillneed to learn to help future juries navigate these challenges." -- Edie Greene, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs"Recognizing that the jury system imagined in the late 18th century reflects a mere shadow of what contemporary juries face, Cynthia Najdowski and Margaret Stevenson, and the impressive experts they assembled, have done much to move the scholarship of juries into the here-and-now. This must-read book tackles important issues playing out in today's courtrooms including those relevant to LGBQT individuals, implicit biases, testilying, neuroscientific evidence,video recordings, and many more significant challenges. Using engaging real-world cases to illustrate issues, this book is destined to become the go-to classic for those who study, appeal to, or sit onjuries." -- Allison Redlich, PhD, Professor of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University"Najdowski and Stevenson's Criminal Juries in the 21st Century reflects a contemporary and thorough review of psychological science applied to the jury system. The editors brought together an all-star cast of scholars, including psychologists and law professors, to review the scientific and policy issues associated with classic research issues such as juror selection and bias as well as modern and emerging issues such as jury use of ubiquitous videorecordings and neuroscience evidence. Each chapter provides an in-depth review of the contemporary issues and research. The contributions of the volume as a whole are elegantly summarized and integrated in thefinal chapter by Shari Seidman Diamond. This volume will be immensely useful to the newest and the more seasoned followers of jury science." -- Brian L. Cutler, PhD, University of Ontario Institute of Technology"Written by a terrific mix of seasoned and emerging jury scholars, the chapters in this volume provide a comprehensive exploration of how recent shifts in societal attitudes and ongoing technological developments influence the work of the criminal jury. Readers are sure to come away with new insights that will invigorate their investigations into jury behavior." -- Margaret Bull Kovera, PhD, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

Review Quote

"Serves as a superb resource for scholars or students who are new to the field of behavioral law or criminal psychology." -- Choice "Cynthia Najdowski and Margaret Stevenson have brought together an impressive set of new and established scholars to explore the key challenges facing 21st-century criminal juries. From concerns about lingering racism and implicit bias to questions about the impact of cutting-edge technologies, this volume masterfully interweaves actual cases, social science research, and legal analysis. The result is a highly useful compendium of what we know and what we still need to learn to help future juries navigate these challenges." -- Edie Greene, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs "Recognizing that the jury system imagined in the late 18th century reflects a mere shadow of what contemporary juries face, Cynthia Najdowski and Margaret Stevenson, and the impressive experts they assembled, have done much to move the scholarship of juries into the here-and-now. This must-read book tackles important issues playing out in today's courtrooms including those relevant to LGBQT individuals, implicit biases, testilying, neuroscientific evidence, video recordings, and many more significant challenges. Using engaging real-world cases to illustrate issues, this book is destined to become the go-to classic for those who study, appeal to, or sit on juries." -- Allison Redlich, PhD, Professor of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University "Najdowski and Stevenson's Criminal Juries in the 21st Century reflects a contemporary and thorough review of psychological science applied to the jury system. The editors brought together an all-star cast of scholars, including psychologists and law professors, to review the scientific and policy issues associated with classic research issues such as juror selection and bias as well as modern and emerging issues such as jury use of ubiquitous video recordings and neuroscience evidence. Each chapter provides an in-depth review of the contemporary issues and research. The contributions of the volume as a whole are elegantly summarized and integrated in the final chapter by Shari Seidman Diamond. This volume will be immensely useful to the newest and the more seasoned followers of jury science." -- Brian L. Cutler, PhD, University of Ontario Institute of Technology "Written by a terrific mix of seasoned and emerging jury scholars, the chapters in this volume provide a comprehensive exploration of how recent shifts in societal attitudes and ongoing technological developments influence the work of the criminal jury. Readers are sure to come away with new insights that will invigorate their investigations into jury behavior." -- Margaret Bull Kovera, PhD, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

Feature

Selling point: 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 jurorSelling point: 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 attentionSelling point: Identifies how social science research can inform law and policy relevant to improving justice within the jury system

New Feature

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 Blandn-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

Details