Abstract

Across the country, African American defendants are being discriminated against in the criminal courts and by juries, particularly in capital cases.[1] This assertion is supported by two lines of research. First, an analysis of Supreme Court decisions focusing on the racial impact on voir dire. Second, social-legal studies on juror decision making have demonstrated legal and socio-legal histories providing evidence that demonstrate there is a racial bias in our system. Based on these findings, this paper sets forth several legal and policy recommendations to improve the fair adjudication of African American defendants charged with capital crimes.

[1] Jack Glaser, Karin D. Martin, Kimberly B. Kahn, Possibility of Death Sentence Has Divergent Effect on Verdicts for Black and White Defendants (2015).

Thesis Completion

2020

Semester

Spring

Thesis Chair/Advisor

Smith, Alisa

Co-Chair

Bast, Carol

Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

Legal Studies

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Release Date

5-1-2020

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Included in

Legal Studies Commons

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