NCJ Number
113936
Journal
Sociology and Social Research Volume: 72 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1988) Pages: 249-251
Date Published
1988
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effect of juror gender on verdicts in 86 rape and sexual offense trials held in Hawaii between 1955 and 1977.
Abstract
Results indicate that although the mean number of women in acquitting juries was slightly higher than the mean number of women on convicting juries, the difference was not statistically significant. Thus, the number of men and women on juries in such cases appears to be unrelated to case outcome. Results may indicate that males and females in this population have the same attitudes toward rape, and that outcomes merely reflect this similarity. Other possible explanations include that jurors with a differential propensity to convict or acquit are excluded during the jury selection process or that gender differences become submerged during the jury deliberation process. Findings should not be interpreted to suggest that jury gender composition makes no difference to case outcome and may be disregarded during jury selection. Rather, findings indicate that whatever biased or unbiased processes resulted in the formation of these juries, the proportion of men and women made no differences. 4 notes, 1 figure, and 15 references.