Racial Discrimination and Jury Selection

Paper Summary:

Although American jurisprudence has held that a juror cannot be included or excluded on a jury on the basis of race, beginning in the mid-20th century, many observers suggest that the entire process today is riddled with loopholes that allow attorneys to "shop" for jurors who will support their position based solely on racial considerations. This paper provides a review and discussion of the relevant literature on racial discrimination in jury selection, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.

From the Paper:

"What is known is that the composition of a jury can make the difference between a guilty verdict and a defendant going free, with distinct differences being found between black and white juries. For example, a study conducted by psychologist Dennis Ugwuegbu determined that white jurors were more likely to find a defendant culpable of rape when he was black and the victim was white than in other racial combinations; on the other hand, blacks were more likely to find that a white defendant was culpable when the victim was black (Hans, 1986)."

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