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: 2020 | 2019 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008
2007 | 2006 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 1998
2020
Juror Allocation Study for Merced County, California, 2020
Jury Management Training Project for the Iowa Administrative Office of the Courts, 2018-2019
Superior Court Voir Dire Process Analysis for the Massachusetts Judiciary, 2017
Judicial Jury Workshop for the Colorado AOC, 2016
Juror Selection Model for the California Superior Courts, 2015
Jury Study for the North Dakota Courts, 2015
Jury Management Capability Model (PDF) (XMind), 2014
Jury Management System Requirements (PDF) (Word), 2014
Develop Jury Management Technology Standards for the District Courts for Fourth Judicial District Court of Minnesota (SJI Grant), 2013
Jury Automation System Business Case Review for the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts, 2013
Evaluation of Jury Selection Procedures for the Ninth Circuit Court, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, 2012
Jury Selection Assistance for the Eastern Michigan, U.S. District Court, 2011
Facilitation of Effective Jury Management Training for the Superior Court of California, Tulare County, 2010
Juror Utilization Assessment for the California Administrative Office of the Courts, 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
Operational Review of Jury Operations for the Eighth Judicial District Court of Nevada, 2009
Review of Alternative Summon Plans for the Arizona Supreme Court, Administrative Office of the Courts, 2009
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
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
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
Jury Trial Innovations, 2006
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
Examining Voir Dire in California, 2004
The Promise and Challenges of Jury System Technology, 2003
Are Hung Juries a Problem?, 2002
Safeguarding Juror Privacy: A New Framework for Court Policies and Procedures, 2001
Through the Eyes of the Juror: A Manual for Addressing Juror Stress, 1998