-SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY: Study finds jury duty may be "too complex".

0 Comments | M2 Presswire, November, 1998

M2 PRESSWIRE-23 November 1998-SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY: Study finds jury duty may be "too complex" (C)1994-98 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD RDATE:201198 People who sit on juries are unable to comprehend the instructions set out to guide their decision-making, leading to the conclusion that "the task required of jurors may be too complex," a new Simon Fraser University study has determined.

The three-year study involved 545 participants in day-long 'mock' jury exercises and also revealed a lack of comprehension in each of 10 alternate strategies for providing jury instruction tested by researchers. "Overall, without a doubt, the results indicate that people have a great deal of difficulty comprehending jury instructions," says SFU psychology professor Jim Ogloff, who has...