Approximately 15 percent of the adult American population is summonsed to jury service each year in state and federal courts. An estimated 8 to 10 million citizens report for jury service annually to courthouses across the country, making them the single largest cohort of court users in the nation.

The NCSC Center for Jury Studies is dedicated to helping courts manage their jury systems so that the jury selection process is efficient and cost-effective, that judges, lawyers, litigants, and the public have confidence in the fairness and impartiality of the impaneled juries, and that jurors have appropriate tools during trial and deliberations with which to render informed and fair judgments.

Using detailed knowledge and extensive experience, the NCSC Center for Jury Studies provides specific assistance in:

• Enhancing the inclusiveness, representation, and accuracy of the master jury list;
• Maximizing the effectiveness of the summoning and qualification process;
• Reducing the costs of the jury system for courts and their communities by improving juror utilization;
• Assessing the integrity of the jury pool to ensure that it reflects a fair cross section of the community;
• Developing effective voir dire practices to encourage jurors to provide full and accurate disclosure of potential biases;
• Evaluating the effectiveness of tools to designed to improve juror comprehension, performance, and satisfaction; and
• Assessing the potential impact of structural or procedural changes on jury system management and jury decision-making.

PAST PROJECTS:     2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 
                                  2006 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 1998

2012

Evaluation of Jury Selection Procedures for the Ninth Circuit Court, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, 2012

2011

Jury Selection Assistance for the Eastern Michigan, U.S. District Court, 2011

2010

Juror Utilization Assessment for the California Administrative Office of the Courts, 2010

Facilitation of Effective Jury Management Training for the Superior Court of California, Tulare County, 2010

Presentation at the Education Conference 2010 Ethics Session on Jury Diversity: It’s More than Numbers for the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, 2010

2009

Review of Alternative Summon Plans for the Arizona Supreme Court, Administrative Office of the Courts, 2009

Operational Review of Jury Operations for the Eighth Judicial District Court of Nevada, 2009

2008

Assessment and Review of Juror Selection and Allocation System for the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, 2008

Evaluation of Random Selection of Prospective Jurors for the Supreme Court of Maricopa County, Arizona, 2008

Provide Jury Management Workshops for the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts, 2008

2007

State-of-the-States Survey of Jury System Improvements, 2007

Assessment of Jury System for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 2007

Evaluation of the Proximity Weighted Jury System for the Superior Court of Maricopa County, Arizona, 2007

Update and Expand Upon Jury Review Conducted in 1995 for the Michigan Administrative Office of the Courts, 2007

2006

Jury Trial Innovations, 2006

Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts, Conduct Jury Training Session, 2006

Harris County, Texas Review of Jury System Operations and Jury Management Facility Design, 2006

2004

Examining Voir Dire in California, 2004

Arizona Jury Management Training for Judges, 2004

District of Columbia Superior Court Juror Study, 2004

Examination of Juror Selection in Allen Superior Court, Allen Circuit Court, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, 2004

2003

The Promise and Challenges of Jury System Technology, 2003

2002

Are Hung Juries a Problem?, 2002

2001

Safeguarding Juror Privacy: A New Framework for Court Policies and Procedures, 2001

1998

Through the Eyes of the Juror: A Manual for Addressing Juror Stress, 1998