Role of Extralegal Factors in Jury Verdicts

• NCJ Number: 103397
• Journal: Justice System Journal Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1986) Pages: 16-39
• Author(s): M C Ford
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 24 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual conference of the American Society of Criminology, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1984.

Annotation

Jury verdicts may not always be based on legally relevant evidence. A variety of extralegal factors may intrude in jury decisionmaking. This article reviews the literature on individual juror characteristics, trial processes, and group dynamics that may bias jury verdicts.

Abstract

It is concluded that while some extralegal effects are evident, on the whole American juries perform remarkably well. Two already established procedures, the voir dire and judicial instructions, are discussed as means to mitigate the influence of extralegal factors on jury verdicts. (Publisher abstract)