Tag: Jurors’ Perceptions

Prior Convictions at Criminal Trials: A Response to Eisenberg and Hans

Sherry F. Colb - Cornell University Law School

This Editorial is a response to an editorial—and accompanying article—by two of my colleagues at Cornell, Valerie Hans and Ted Eisenberg.  Their editorial persuasively argues that the admissibility of a defendant’s prior criminal record has several consistent effects: (1) it deters defendants with a record from taking the stand in… Read More »

Taking a Stand on Taking the Stand: The Effect of a Prior Criminal Record on the Decision to Testify and on Trial Outcomes

Theodore Eisenberg & Valerie P. Hans

The evidentiary treatment of a defendant’s prior criminal record is a critically important issue for the criminal justice system and for the day-to-day conduct of criminal cases.  Every year, prosecutors and police are undoubtedly influenced by the existence of prior records in charging and arrest decisions.  At trial, judges exercise… Read More »