NCJ Number
61281
Journal
Psychological Reports Volume: 43 Issue: 2 Dated: (1978) Pages: 475-478
Date Published
1978
Length
4 pages
Annotation
IN THIS STUDY OF THE SELECTION OF JURY FOREMEN IN TWO FEDERAL COURT DISTRICTS IN THE SOUTHWEST, WOMEN WERE ELECTED AS JURY FOREMEN ONE-FIFTH AS OFTEN AS EXPECTED WHEN JUDGED BY THEIR NUMBERS.
Abstract
THE STUDY HYPOTHESIZED THAT A MEASURE OF SOCIAL STATUS WHICH EMPLOYED THE RATIO OF AVAILABLE JURORS TO THE NUMBER RAISED TO FOREMAN MIGHT DETERMINE THE STATUS OF A MINORITY OF SUBGROUP. TO ASCERTAIN THE AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION AND TO OBTAIN DATA FOR COMPARISON, A FEASIBILITY STUDY WAS CONDUCTED WITH FEMALES AS THE MINORITY GROUP. THE SAMPLE CHOSEN INCLUDED EVERY CRIMINAL TRIAL HELD AT THE FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT LEVEL IN DALLAS AND SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. THERE WAS A TOTAL OF 155 TRIALS. OF THE 1,860 JURORS, 862 WERE WOMEN AND 998 WERE MEN. HOWEVER, AMONG THE 155 JURY FOREMEN, 14 WERE WOMEN AND 141 MEN. THUS, WOMEN WERE REPRESENTED BY LESS THAN ONE-FIFTH THEIR PROPORTIONAL NUMBER. RESULTS CONFIRMED THE STUDY'S HYPOTHESIS THAT THE PROPORTION OF FOREMEN WHO ARE FEMALES REFLECTS THE SOCIAL STATUS OF THAT GROUP DURING THE TIME AND IN THE COMMUNITIES THE JURORS REPRESENTED. THE REPORT ALSO STATES THAT IT IS UNLIKELY THAT ANY REGION IN THE UNITED STATES HAS AN EQUAL REPRESENTATION OF FEMALE FOREMEN. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ACCOMPANY THE ARTICLE. (MJW)