The Jury (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Uses seven different trials and interviews with jurors to demonstrate that they are often capricious, illogical, and swayed by their own experiences with crime, and outlines a way to save the system. Reprint.

From the Publisher

"Just in time to put the Simpson trial in perspective," wrote Time Magazine recently of The Jury. Indeed, America's inundation with high-profile cases, not just O.J. but the Menendez brothers, the Long Island Railroad gunman Colin Ferguson, and Court TV in general--have made people intensely preoccupied with the jury system, while at the same time remarkably unknowledgeable. The Jury will change that.

The Jury is a sobering look at the disarray of the current American jury system. Written in a straight-forward style, filled with ancedotes from the trials discussed, the book ends with a strong prescription for how to change--and save--the jury system in America.

"This is the first book ever that explains how juries work in the real world, and Steve Adler does it in a way that actually makes it fun to read." -- Steven Brill, founder, Court TV and The American Lawyer magazine

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Main Street Books (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385479697
• ISBN-13: 978-0385479691
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #237,913 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Jury is a great inside look at how juries decide cases., July 7, 1998

By	Steve A. Leben (Fairway, Kansas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Stephen Adler has provided a great inside look at how juries really decide cases. I am a state court trial judge and have an opportunity most people don't get -- talking to jurors after they have decided a case to learn how they came to their decision. Adler has reconstructed the deliberation process in several, varied cases. The descriptions are compelling and surprising, but they certainly lead any reader to a much better understanding of the jury system. Adler also provides a good overview of the possible reform measures that might help -- and a good set of citations for further reference.

I submitted these comments because another person had provided a highly critical review of the book. I cannot account for his strong reaction against every facet of the book, from writing style to content. I can say that I highly recommend this book to anyone who cares about our justice system.

Steve Leben, District Judge Olathe, Kansas

1 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The jury is out, December 16, 1996

By A Customer

The Jury: Disorder in the Court by Stephen Adler Wriiten at a fifth grade reading level, this book reveals the legal system's contempt of juries, the courts' contempt of ordinary people, and the author's contempt of his readers. This book reveals the worst aspects of modern journalism: its insipidness, its superificiality, and its addiction to the trivial. I read so many comments about jurors' dress, make-up, and demeanor that I thought the the book was written by the fashion editor of Ms. magazine instead of the legal editor of the Wall Street Journal. The end was the only bright spot of the book, if only because the ordeal was almost over. Here finally Adler decides to end his blathering about taste and come to a conclusion -- any conclusion. The most radical change is his proposal to eliminate peremptory challenges of potential jurors: no more kicking a juror off a panel for no reason at all. As a matter of fact, Adler would forbid questioning of potential jurors: lawyers will have to settle for juries composed of average citizens picked at random. He also proposes making jury duty more pleasant in order to reduce the number of jury-duty shirkers. Again it seems so obvious that any idiot could have written it, and anyone did.