08. Valerie P. Hans, Law, (with Neil Vidmar)
Valerie Hans
American Juries: The Verdict (Prometheus Books, 2007). Topic by topic, the authors present over 50 years of empirical research on civil and criminal juries and give stories behind important trials. They provide fact-based answers to important questions concerning how juries make decisions: how jury verdicts compare to verdicts of trial judges and technical experts, roles jury consultants play in influencing trial outcome, juries’ comprehension of complex expert testimony, and juries’ potential biases against doctors and big business. Hans and Vidmar explore suggestions for improving the way juries are asked to carry out their duties, but they conclude that the American jury system is fair and democratic.