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Should the Gov Hire Jury Consultants?

We've all used them, and not just for jury selection but for mock trials etc.

But what about in criminal proceedings, should the prosecutors also retain jury consultants?

David O. says no:

Several jurors blamed the mistrial on juror Angela Woods, the lone black juror who has refused to comment on the deliberations. Though Woods filled out an extensive questionnaire that has not been made public, prosecutors did not seek any follow-up during jury selection to the written answers they gave, as they did for about half of the other potential jurors.

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Lawyers and academics disagree on whether a jury consultant would have helped prosecutors in the Riddle case or whether it's even appropriate for prosecutors to use them.

"The prosecutor's job isn't to win -- their job is to do justice," said Miami criminal defense attorney David Oscar Markus. "There's something that doesn't seem right about the government hiring jury consultants. That gets into winning, rather than how do we do justice in this case."

Full post as published by South Florida Lawyers on February 22, 2010 (boomark / email).