Vl. Smith et Sm. Kassin, EFFECTS OF THE DYNAMITE CHARGE ON THE DELIBERATIONS OF DEADLOCKED MOCK JURIES, Law and human behavior, 17(6), 1993, pp. 625-643
When juries report that they are deadlocked, judges often deliver the
dynamite charge, a supplemental instruction that urges jurors to rethi
nk their views in an effort to reach a unanimous verdict. The present
study evaluated the impact of this procedure on 378 subjects who parti
cipated in 63 deadlocked mock juries. Results indicated that the dynam
ite charge caused jurors in the voting minority to feel coerced and ch
ange their votes, reduced the pressure felt by those in the majority,
and hastened the deliberation process injuries that favored conviction
. These findings raise serious questions concerning the use of this co
ntroversial charge.