NCJ Number
99863
Editor(s)
S M Kassin,
L S Wrightsman
Date Published
1985
Length
376 pages
Annotation
These 13 papers explain the procedural rules governing the admission of different types of evidence, cover the uses of basic courtroom procedures, and present psychological research evaluating the impacts of various types of testimony and strategies on jury decisionmaking.
Abstract
An overview presents a historical summary of the rules of evidence. Papers consider the admissibility rules, reliability, and impact on jury decisionmaking of (1) eyewitness testimony, (2) confessions, (3) the defendant's own testimony, (4) polygraph evidence, (5) surveys and field experiments, (6) character evidence, and (7) research evidence given by psychologists testifying as expert witnesses. The major stages in trial procedure are examined in additional papers focusing on the procedures' intended functions, impacts on juries, and policy implications for judges and lawyers. Other papers consider opening statements and closing arguments, direct examination and cross-examination, and jury instructions. A final paper considers the role that psychology does and should play in the judicial process. Notes and reference lists.