Race-Based Jury Nullification

Team names

CJA/344

September 23, 2011

Instructor name

Race-Based Jury Nullification

Race-based jury nullification is a phenomenon that has persisted in the criminal justice system for many years. Although the criminal justice system relies on the jurors to base their verdict decision on the evidence provided during the trial, research indicates the racial makeup of the jury can create a bias toward the defendant. When this occurs, the jury's verdict considers the defendant's race or ethnicity more than the evidence itself. In this paper, the authors will discuss the race-based jury nullification phenomena and provide a summary for or against the phenomena.

The right to a jury trial comes from the United States Constitution and has...