Review: Can be read with ease and will probably motivate you for further study
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 16, 2014
‘The Psychology of Jury Selection’ written by Frederick Crouter is a short book that talks about one not so often encountered subject - the election of the members of the jury.At the book beginning author somewhat humorously quotes two gentlemen with their comments “…Never forget, almost every case has been won or lost when the jury is sworn.” and “…Never accept a juror whose occupation begins with a P.” and thereafter at his 30-odd pages discusses various aspects important for selection of right people for jurors.Claiming that each year juries decide thousands of cases, though the majority of these are not settled by juries, he emphasizes that predictions about juries frequently influence the decision of whether or not to pursue a jury trial. In the first part of the book he deals with an analysis of the pre-trial investigation of the jury panel and the data that should be collected, while in second part he speaks about non-verbal and body cues of the jurors.Crouter’s book will be interesting, especially to someone who is not versed in this subject, but still somewhat gives the impression that it deals with general psychological topics that are applicable in various professions, and not so much related to the process of selecting jurors.Given the work shortness, this is a booklet you will read with ease that will probably motivate you for further study. The book comes with one nice add-on that certainly increases its value – bonus software called ‘The Jury Selector’ which enables reader to go through the topics covered in this book the other way as well.