The Jury Trial in Criminal Justice

"The jury trial is one of the most visible, contentious, and misunderstood of the various components of our criminal justice system… [While] the public is not infrequently critical of the decisions made by these ordinary citizens…attracting such criticism is one of the very functions of the jury: to act as a lightning rod which draws public disapproval away from the law and the judges, and dissipates it through a temporary and anonymous body of citizens back into the community from which they came…

"The Jury Trial in Criminal Justice offers an exploration of some of the most troubling of the issues of the jury trial in the criminal justice process. Among these are the gradual disappearance of juries and the dominance of plea bargaining, the morally complex role of defense counsel, the high and still rising powers of discretion by prosecutors, victims in the criminal justice process, and doubts about the jurors themselves.

"The exploration into these questions is guided partly by Douglas Koski's introductions to each major issue and then by the collection of readings he has authored and edited to illuminate each topic. Among the writings in the collection are works that provide both classic views and fresh perspectives. Some are incisive scholars, others by iconoclastic practitioners. All are informed and insightful. Readers of The Jury Trial in Criminal Justice will gain an understanding of the jury and the criminal justice process that will take them far beyond the erroneous assumptions and cliches that permeate our popular culture." — Michael J. Saks, Arizona State University College of Law, from the Foreword