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Jury Selection in Criminal Trials: Skills, Science, and the Law

NCJ Number
183778
Author(s)
David M. Tanovich; David M. Paciocco; Steven Skurka
Date Published
1997
Length
353 pages
Annotation
This is a practitioner’s guide through the stages of the jury selection process.
Abstract
Chapter 1 describes the availability and outlines the purpose of trial by jury. Chapter 2 discusses the contributions that provincial legislation makes to the jury selection process. Chapter 3 considers the limited circumstances in which a judge is entitled to pre-screen the jury panel for partiality. Chapter 4 describes the challenge for cause process, its purpose, and its availability in criminal cases. Chapter 5 provides a detailed account of the law relating to challenges for cause. Chapter 6 looks at the mechanics of the challenge for cause procedure, including who is entitled to challenge for cause, the order of challenges, and the form of the challenge. Chapter 7 looks at the triers of the challenge for cause, and Chapter 8 examines the procedure in a trial of a challenge for cause. Chapter 9 examines the mechanics of the peremptory challenge, in which either the prosecution or the defense can refuse a juror without specifying cause. Chapter 10 offers practical suggestions on selecting a jury. Finally, Chapter 11 examines whether either the prosecution or the defense can use peremptory challenges in a discriminatory fashion. Notes, appendixes, table of cases, index