Race- Factors Influencing Jury Decision Making (8 Marks) Flashcards
Mitchell et al- what was it about
Report on meta analysis of mock jury trials looking at the effects of racial bias on juror decision making
Why does this support the racial bias?
Shows there is racial bias in the American Justice System
Human Rights Watch (2000)- black male drug users are 13 times more likely to be sentenced to jail than white male drug users
Still is the case even if drug use between the two groups was equal
What is racial bias?
Not treating the minority group defendants equally
In juror decision making it means…..
Black defendants were being treated more harshly by the jurors than white defendants
(MITCHELL ET AL)
Strength of MITCHELL ET AL
Meta analysis-
Strength as it uses the results from multiple similar studies to look for an overall picture
Uses secondary data which helps to collect a larger amount (larger sample size)
Allowing for a cause and effect relationship
Link to social identity theory
Explains prejudice and racial bias in juror decision making
In group and out group (in group favouritism)
The idea of social comparison and seeing your group as superior and using your group identify to compare yourself to outgroups and look negatively towards them (in group favouritism) and a (negative outgroup bias)
Meta analysis study used (Austin and Allen)
Showed that minority defendants (black in particular) given longer sentences and given the death sentence more often
What did Austen and Allen look at?
They looked at whether it was…
More defendants that were minority than white in the Pennsylvanian prison system
Because of differences in crime or because of racial discrimination
What were the findings of Austen and Allen
Found that…
43% commitment rate due to targeting minority defendants was (due to arrest rate)
57% was race
BALDUS ET AL
Found…
Black defendants given much longer sentences than white defendants when there was a white victim
