Eight Youngstown State University Criminal Justice students took part in a simulated jury selection exercise with the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office, giving them a chance to experience a key part of the criminal trial process from the perspective of prospective jurors.
The students – Jessica Chidsey, Danielle Kyser, Brooklyn Roth, Gianna Taaffe, Tori Balestrino, Dina Jaafar, Alexies Brooks and Christopher Kyprianou – answered questions from assistant prosecutors conducting voir dire, the process attorneys use to question prospective jurors. The exercise gave prosecutors a chance to practice their approach and gave students a view of how jury selection works beyond the classroom.
“I thought this would be a great opportunity for them to participate and see what jury selection would be like instead of lecturing from a book,” said Christopher Bellas, distinguished professor of criminal justice. “Someday they may get a summons in the mail to serve on jury duty.”
Bellas said the experience let students take part in the process themselves, rather than learn about it only through lectures or videos. They could answer questions about their backgrounds and interests while seeing how attorneys approached potential jurors.
“Communication is the key – body language, as well as just rapport between the attorneys and the jurors or potential jurors,” Bellas said. “I think you can only do that through experience.”
Bellas said students told him they enjoyed the exercise and learned a lot. The training also offered a chance to meet people working in the legal community.
“The biggest opportunity they got was networking,” Bellas said. At least one student has since contacted the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office about an internship, and Bellas hopes the partnership will lead to more opportunities for YSU students.
The opportunity grew from relationships Bellas has built with the prosecutor’s office and the broader legal community. Prosecutors have visited his classes and serve as guest speakers, and his students observe court proceedings as part of their coursework. A member of the prosecutor’s office communications staff reached out to Bellas about the jury selection exercise.
Bellas said he welcomes future collaborations, including opportunities to bring legal professionals into classes, arrange field trips and connect students with internships. He has also worked with courts and community organizations on other educational opportunities, including events related to wrongful convictions.
“I love collaboration with members of the community on these projects,” Bellas said. “If I could do this every semester, I would do it.”
The collaboration gave prosecutors a chance to practice jury selection with a group of prospective jurors while giving YSU students firsthand exposure to courtroom work. Bellas, whose research focuses on jury behavior and the criminal court process, said the exercise offered students an especially useful view of human interaction involved in trial work.
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