Jury Nullification Essay

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Jury Nullification Angie Coterill CJA/344 Cultural Diversity in Criminal Justice February 27, 2013 LaTraci Spotwood, Instructor Jury Nullification Jury nullification, according to The Free Dictionary is, “a sanctioned doctrine of trial proceedings wherein members of a jury disregard either the evidence presented or the instructions of the judge in order to reach a verdict based upon their own consciences. It espouses the concept that jurors should be the judges of both law and fact.” Jury nullification can take place any time individuals misinterpret the law to what they believe the law means regardless of evidence in favor of or against a person charged with a particular crime. Before the time of the Civil Rights Movements in America, African American people had been accused of committing a crime and be found guilty without any evidence to prove his or her innocence or guilt because only White men served on the jury. Race-based jury nullification centers on the defendant’s race and the makeup of the jury. Racism can be one of the leading causes for the nullification of a verdict. The same racism exists today driving juries to nullify the law in favor of or against a person charged with a crime. The ethnicity of jurors can influence whether or not nullification takes place. “Jury nullification is often attributed to juries that identify with and share the same characteristics as the defendant, such as the defendant’s racial or ethnic background, socioeconomic status, or value system. The occurrence of this type of nullification has been attributed to a potential response to social conditions, including the perception that the criminal justice system targets minorities,” (Keneally, 2010-2011, p. 945-946). Keneally (2010-2011), goes on to state that, “one explanation asserts that jurors are making a statement to focus attention on racism in the
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