A child sexual abuse case resulted in a mistrial after a juror went online to research the concept of witness coaching and told his fellow jurors. The prosecutor didn't want to put the six-year-old victim through a second trial, so reduced the charges to resolve the case.
Juror’s ‘research’ forced mistrial in child rape case, Herald.net (Everett), Dec. 12, 2012
The end of the article briefly discusses a mistrial that resulted from a juror refusing to return to court after a break in deliberations.
From 2005 to 2015 this blog presented news items and resources relating to trial advocacy and the legal system, with a focus on Washington State. It was developed to support the Trial Advocacy Program at the University of Washington School of Law, but broadened to include appellate practice, the courts, access to justice, and related topics. It is no longer active.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
TED Talk on Statistics
Here's another TED Talk:
Peter Donnelly, How Stats Fool Juries, TED Talks (July 2005, posted Nov. 2006).
Peter Donnelly, How Stats Fool Juries, TED Talks (July 2005, posted Nov. 2006).
TED Talk on Eyewitness Testimony
Forensic psychologist Scott Fraser discusses Why Eyewitnesses Get It Wrong, TED Talk (May 2012, posted Sept. 2012). He illustrates his points with slides showing the lighting conditions on the night of a shooting.