Twelve Angry Men (Further Reading)

Further Reading

• Abramson, Jeffrey, We the Jury: The Jury System and the Ideal of Democracy, with a new preface, Harvard University Press, 2000.

  Abramson, who is a former prosecutor, describes the history and function of juries in democratic society. He discusses such issues as mandatory cross-section representation for juries and scientific jury selection and advocates mandatory unanimous verdicts. He concludes that the jury system works well and serves the interests of democracy.

• Burnett, D. Graham, A Trial by Jury, Vintage, 2002.

  Burnett, a historian of science, was the foreman of the jury in a murder trial in New York City, and in this book he discusses the responsibilities and frustrations of jury duty. The result is an excellent account of what really goes on in a jury room. Reviewers made comparisons between this book and Twelve Angry Men.

• Hans, Valerie P., and Neil Vidmar, Judging the Jury, Perseus, 2001.

  The authors discuss the performance of juries and conclude that on the whole, they do a competent job. Other issues discussed in the book include jury selection, the effects of prejudice, and the significance of whether the verdict is unanimous or a majority decision. They also cover the history and development of the jury system.

• Yarmey, A. Daniel, The Psychology of Eyewitness Testimony, Free Press, 1979.

  Yarmey presents the psychological and legal aspects of eyewitness identification. He also discusses the implications for criminal justice of the scientific literature on memory, perception, and social perception.