Justice in the Courtroom

Justice in the Courtroom

The present system of jury selection often leaves the decisions in the hands of representatives of the majority race . The uniformity of jurors background provides basis for discrimination , especially in case the plaintiff or the defendant is a representative of the minority group . A recent study led by Samuel Sommers , assistant professor of psychology at Tufts University in Massachusetts demonstrated that fairness in the courtroom is enhanced when juries are composed by representatives of different races . The research recently published by the American Psychological Association showed that

jurors drawn from more than one racial group tend to enter into longer and more detailed discussions about cases to test ' their own feelings and ideas , which gives a practical reason to demand diversity in the jury box (Frean , 2006

The opponents of reforms requiring that would stipulate a certain proportion of minority representatives in the jury box could respond that these are racial quotas , a practice many consider questionable . For instance , on these grounds the Minnesotan law of 1990 , mandating that jury composition must reflect the proportion of majority and minority groups in the general population , was abolished in 1999 (Fukurai Krooth , 2003

However , racial quotas are tolerated in many other places where they lead to less dramatic outcomes - for instance , in immigration issues or in education . Therefore , this is hardly a valid excuse to perpetuate the skewed composition of juries that often fail to reflect the proportions in the current American population . Mandating diversity in the jury box has a long tradition : as early as in the Middle Age in Britain the split jury ' rule mandated that six of 12 jurors hearing cases against Jewish defendants be of Jewish descent , and it endured for almost 700 years (Fukurai , Krooth , 2003 . The same rule was applied to trials of Native Americans in colonial states . Today , there is a drastic need for reform that would promote diversity among jurors

References

Frean , A (2006 , April 10 . Racially mixed juries are 'fairer . Times Online . Retrieved May 12 , 2006 , from http /www .timesonline .co .uk /article /0 ,00 .html

Fukurai , H Krooth , R (2003 , October 28 . Guaranteeing racially mixed juries . San Fransisco Chronicle . Retrieved May 12 , 2006 , from http /www .sfgate .com /cgi-bin /article .cgi /chronicle /archive /2003 /1 0 /28 /EDGED2JAVJ1 .DTL

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JUSTICE IN COURTROOM

May 12 , 2006...