The Effect of Jury Experience on Jury Verdicts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2374-7781.1981.2.0.62-73Abstract
This study considers the hypothesis that juries with more experience are more likely to convict a defendant than less experienced juries are. The theory, which has wide support among prosecutors and defense attorneys, is tested by taking all the jury trials in the Sixth Judicial District in Arkansas for the years 1978 and 1979, identifying juries with greater experience and those with less experience during those two years, and using statistical analysis to determine the strength of the relationship. The results indicate that the theory is not statistically supported. An additional analysis was completed to determine if a relationship exists between jury experience and severity of sentence. This theory also could not be supported by the statistical data. The conclusion is reached that no relationship exists between jury experience and jury verdicts, but it is acknowledged that manipulation of the cases, which come before the various juries may skew the results of the statistical analysis.
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