Mock-juror racial bias findings diverge partly because participant race was unmeasured

Evidence

When mock jurors are allowed the opportunity to assign punishment for defendants, they often demonstrate bias against minorities, punishing the defendant more harshly if they are a member of a racial/ethnic minority group (e.g., DeSantis & Kayson, 1997; Forsterlee, Horowitz, & King, 2006; Lynch & Haney, 2000). In some studies, however, the race of the defendant did not affect verdict decisions or the severity of sentences (e.g., Pfeifer & Ogloff, 1991). The first metaanalysis to aggregate studies examining the impact of racial bias primarily examined White jurors’ judgments of Black (vs. White) defendants. Sweeney and Haney (1992) found a small but significant bias against Black defendants. A follow-up meta-analysis did not find evidence that minorities suffered more adverse outcomes compared with White defendants in mock juror simulations (Mazzella & Feingold, 1994). The researchers in the second meta-analysis, however, did not code for the race of the participants, so it is possible that the lack of bias was due to the inclusion of minority mock jurors, who may be less likely to express bias against their own group. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 848