Book Review: On the jury trial: Principles and practices for effective advocacy

• Date: 01 September 2021
• Published date: 01 September 2021
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016818804867
• Author: Anne S. Douds
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

related to subject resistance discretion plays a significant role in variation that exists in the data.

Human interaction, training, and experience all alter the way that these cases end. Boylstein dis-

cusses the commonalities in the research and the current standpoint of the field.

In the fourth chapter, Boylstein attempts to identify the reasons for those variations. However, the

question of whether the police treat different groups different is only preliminarily answered. While

Boylstein found that national-level data support the co ncept that there are racial differences in

treatment he calls for further research. He repeatedly points out the need for further investigation

while acknowledging that aggregated data and individual-level data present a challenge in research.

These chapters further note the fallacies of making an individual-level assessment of prejudice or

racial disparity based on the national data. One cannot make a general assumption based on a single

incident, regardless of the visibility of the incident. Moreover, one cannot paint an individual with

the same brush as the whole group. These chapters are only a starting point for discussion and need

further exploration, and the author is the first to recommend this process.

Following the findings, Boylstein discusses the current controversies that exist in police use-of-

force cases. The reality of modern-day policing is the fact that mental illnesses, while not more

prevalent, are more apparent. Moreover, the visibility of lethal force cases is increasing in this age of

social media. This chapter attempts to discuss the changing times and the realities of what the police

are currently facing. The final chapter of this book is a call for justice. Beyond the findings of this

book, Boylstein makes the stand that change can only occur when people acknowledge that change

is necessary. This book is a starting point in this call for justice and social change. Boylstein

recognizes that social inequalities exist and that to enact change researchers and activists have to

work together. The reality is that there are social inequalities that exist at a national level. The author

states the only way to achieve change is through demanding it, and it can only occur when people

understand where the problem lies. This process can only occur when further research is conducted

on this topic.

Boylstein acknowledges throughout his manuscript that the topic of police use-of-force is viewed

through a biased lens. People are not without fault, and the police are far from perfect. His final

chapter, a call for justice and social change, is one that is necessary for this current age. Scholars in

this field need to approach this book with the idea that this is a starting point for further discussion

and research. Furthermore, policing scholars need to be the first ones to recognize that further work

is necessary. By providing this book to the field, the author has taken the discussion in an engaging

direction while providing an undergraduate classes with a supplemental text for context and

discussion.

Melsheimer, T. M., & Smith, C. (2017).

On the jury trial: Principles and practices for effective advocacy. Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press.

254 pp. $22.95, ISBN 9781574416992.

Reviewed by: Anne S. Douds, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA, USA

DOI: 10.1177/0734016818804867

On the Jury Trial, by two Texas attorneys, provides an easily digestible and refreshingly approach-

able exploration of the jury trial process that should be read by any legal or criminal justice

professional who might find themselves in a courtroom. Whether an attorney, litigant, expert,

386 Criminal Justice Review 46(3)