Juries and Decision Making Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a jury, when are they used?

A

Minority of cases use jury (District and Supreme Court)
Criminal trials = 12 jurors
Civil trials = 6 jurors
Only 4% finalised in Supreme Court
Vast majority plead guilty so jury not needed

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2
Q

Selecting jury

A

Randomly selected from a panel
Potential jurors can automatically be excluded (occupation, criminal history)
Juries should be representative (NOT THE CASE)

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3
Q

What is scientific jury selection?

A

Using social science/research methods to select juries
Used in US (Harrisburg Seven = 1st case
Predict verdict based on stereotypes
Jurors seem to render verdicts based on evidence
Research in general on juries is limited due to methodological reasons

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4
Q

Factors affecting jury deliberation

A
Physical attractiveness 
Social attractiveness 
Attitudinal attractiveness 
Criminal history (not allowed in Qld)
Courtroom behaviour of defendant (Lindy Chamberlain)
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5
Q

Deliberation styles of jurors Verdict-driven

Evidence-driven

A

Verdict-driven: reach a verdict ASAP, majority-decision juries tend to be verdict-driven
Evidence-driven: focus on discussion and evaluation before taking a vote, deliberate longer, consider evidence and more satisfied, unanimous-decision juries are evidence druven

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6
Q

Timing of ballots - group processes

A

Significant relationship btw first ballot and final jury verdict
Timing influences how jurors will change their initial verdict difference (even 5mins makes a verdict)

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7
Q

Individual characteristics of jurors

A

Ability to attend to, interpret and remember evidence
Heuristics (guides/indicators) - expectations about how people are supposed to act and inferences dream from witness and victim behaviour

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8
Q

Group processes

A

Men talk more than women
Interactions and discussions btw 2+ jurors (creates bond and influence)
Length of deliberation- minority move to majority over time (Asch’s experiment)
Timing of ballots (foreperson influence)
Jury size (larger juries and unanimous decisions = more hung juries)

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