Jury Selection in Child Sex Abuse Trials: A Case Analysis

Abstract

Child sex abuse cases have been the target of considerable psycho-legal research. The present paper offers an analysis of psychological constructs for jury selection in child sex abuse cases from the defense perspective. The authors specifically delineate general and case-specific jury selection variables. General variables include authoritarianism, dogmatism, need for cognition, pretrial knowledge, and race/socioeconomic status. Case-specific variables include sexual attitudes, homonegativity, juror abuse history, and beliefs about children. The paper also provides a factual background of a representative case, incorporates relevant case law, identifies sources for voir dire and juror questionnaire items, and discusses lessons from the primary author's first experience as a trial consultant for the defense.

KEYWORDS:

• jury selection
• child sexual abuse
• authoritarianism
• need for cognition
• trial consultation

The authors wish to thank Joel Sogol, JD, for his contributions to conceptualizing factors related to this jury selection.