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August 2002

by Alan Berlow


Cases in Question

CRUZ
  
MILLER-EL
  
RAMDASS

BEETS
  
WEEKS
  
MOORE

What was your experience serving as a juror?

SIDEBAR
The Capital Jury Project

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK
Reporter Alan Berlow on making deadly decisions.

RESOURCES
Related Links
Printable Transcript

 
PART I
Juror Responsibility
Jury service can be extremely stressful, even traumatic. In the 38 states that have the death penalty, jurors who reach a guilty verdict must also decide if the defendant will live or die. Jurors will frequently shift responsibility to the defendant, the appeals process, the judge or the law itself.
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PART II
Juror Confusion
While the states have adopted new instructions to guide jurors in making life or death decisions, many jurors appear to be just as confused about the law as they were when the high court put the death penalty on hold.
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PART III
Juror Bias
Lawyers say the critical part of the trial is the selection of jurors. But selecting the jury is not an exact science.
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CREDITS
Correspondent: Alan Berlow
Editor: Deborah George
Coordinating Producer: Sasha Aslanian
Project Coordinator: Misha Quill
Technical Direction: Craig Thorson
Managing Editor: Stephen Smith
Host: Daniel Zwerdling
 

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