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Abstract: 

This is the second in a multipart series based on Dr. Koski’s article “Jury Decisionmaking in Rape Trials: A Review and Empirical Assessment,” which appears in its entirety in 38 (1) Criminal Law Bulletin 21 (Jan./Feb. 2002), and is reprinted in SLR with the kind permission of the author and publisher. In the first installment, which appeared in the last issue of SLR, Dr. Koski discussed some of the pitfalls and shortcomings that have developed in the process of determining justice by means of trial by jury, most especially as present in consent-defense rape cases. The article outlined the underlying assumptions and methodology employed in a study designed to determine how it is that juries “make sense” of the evidence presented at trial, with the goal of forming the basis for a theory of jury decisionmaking. In Part II, presented in this issue, Dr. Koski reviews the literature on the psychology of jurors in the decision making process, explores the factors affecting juror attitudes and the role of juror attitudes in reaching verdicts.

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Affiliations:  1: Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice, Distinguished Research Fellow.