Book Review: Jury Decision Making: The State of the Science

• DOI: 10.1177/0734016813476713
• Author: Audrey C. Clubb
• Published date: 01 September 2013
• Date: 01 September 2013
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

Book Reviews
International Criminal Justice Review
23(3) 307-324
Book Reviews
ª 2013 Georgia State University
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Dennis J. Devine
Jury Decision Making: The State of the Science New York, NY: New York University Press, 2012. 272 pp. $25.00
(paperback). ISBN: 978-0-8147-2019-6
Reviewed by: Audrey C. Clubb, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
DOI: 10.1177/0734016813476713
In Jury Decision Making: The State of the Science, Dennis Devine provides a thorough examination
of empirical literature related to the factors shaping juror and jury decision making and proposes a
comprehensive theoretical approach to understanding the complex processes involved. Devine is an
assistant professor with the Department of Psychology at Indiana University—Purdue University at
Indianapolis with an expertise in jury decision-making practices. This text is a response to research
and theoretical models of juror- and jury-level decision making that provide valuable insight but lack
an integrative approach. As such, the purpose of this text is to examine extant research and theore-
tical perspectives and to consolidate this information into a comprehensive picture of how jurors and
juries reach a verdict. There are three sections in the text: The methodological and theoretical foun-
dation, a summary of research, and a presentation of a new theory of jury decision making. Follow-
ing a thorough and well-documented review of theoretical perspectives and extant research, Devine
constructs a two-part, broad and inclusive model of juror and jury decision making. He concludes
with suggestions for testing this model and potential policy implications.
The book begins with a discussion of two key issues providing the impetus for this text: Limited and/
or inconsistent research findings related to juror and jury decision making and flawed theoretical
approaches to understanding juror and jury decision making. Devine traces the almost...