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Bias in the Courtroom - Race and Sex Effects of Attorneys on Juror Verdicts

NCJ Number
89997
Journal
Social Behavior and Personality Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: (1981) Pages: 81-87
Author(s)
D L Cohen; J L Peterson
Date Published
1981
Length
7 pages
Annotation
In this mock jury trial, defendants represented by black attorneys were more likely to be found guilty than those represented by white attorneys, but attorney sex had little effect on jury decisionmaking.
Abstract
A total of 127 (76 males, 51 females) high school students recruited from 11th grade history classes in a Los Angeles suburb participated in one of four experimental conditions according to the race and sex of the defense attorney in the mock jury trial. After reading the case summaries, the subjects in each experimental group were shown slides of persons involved in the trial. Subjects were informed that the slides were being shown to familiarize them with the persons involved in the trial; however, the slides were actually used to introduce the prime manipulation of sex and race of the defense attorneys. Each experimental group was shown the same slides with the exception of the defense attorney. This slide varied among the four groups according to race and sex. After viewing the slides, subjects were asked to render a verdict and to indicate their confidence in that verdict. A series of two analyses of covariance were performed on the jurors' verdicts. A consistent prowhite defense attorney bias was observed. Jurors in the presence of a black defense attorney reported significantly more defendant guilt than jurors in the presence of a white defense attorney. There was not sufficient evidence to reveal a bias according to the sex of the defense attorney. Some implications of the findings are discussed. Thirteen references are listed.

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