Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-397) and index.

The English origins of the modern jury : from trial by ordeal to the decline of the "little parliament" -- Criminal and civil juries in America from colonial times to the present day : evolution, a heroic role, and controversy -- A jury of peers : democratic goals -- Jury selection : juror bias, juror challenges, and trial consultants -- Problem cases : pretrial publicity -- The tasks of the jury : evidence evaluation and jury decision-making processes -- Judging the jury : evaluating jurors' comprehension of evidence and law -- Trials in a scientific age : juries judging experts -- Judging criminal responsibility : erroneous convictions, the CSI effect, and the victim's role -- Deciding insanity : mad or bad? -- Jury nullification : the war with the law -- Death is different : juries and capital punishment -- Civil liability : plaintiff vs. defendant in the eyes of the jury -- Deciding compensatory damages : million dollar questions -- Punitive damages : coffee spills and Marlboro cigarettes -- Juries and medical malpractice : antidoctor, incompetent, and irresponsible? -- Concluding : the verdict on juries.

This comprehensive volume reviews over fifty years of empirical research on civil and criminal juries and returns a verdict that strongly supports the jury system. Rather than relying on anecdotes, the authors place the jury system in its historical and contemporary context, giving the stories behind important trials while providing fact-based answers to critical questions. They consider various suggestions for improving the way that juries are asked to carry out their duties. After briefly comparing the American jury to its counterparts in other nations, they conclude that our jury system, despite occasional problems, is, on balance, fair and democratic, and should remain an indispensable component of the judicial process for the foreseeable future. -- From book jacket.