NCJ Number
168646
Journal
Journal of Crime and Justice Volume: 20 Issue: 1 Dated: (1997) Pages: 1-22
Date Published
1997
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This study investigates how the social structure of an everyday case affects adjudication and sentencing.
Abstract
The study, informed by Black's sociological jurisprudence, examined the pretrial media coverage of a local burglary case and how media reports influenced the attribution of guilt by individuals qualified for jury duty. The study used three research methods: a legal analysis of case documents, a qualitative content analysis of court and news media documents and a sample survey of persons qualified for jury duty. This research suggests that qualified jurors who consume media coverage of a local case come to court with a story that represents or resembles the state's case against the criminal defendant. Qualified jurors who remember a criminal suspect by name or status as a drug addict are likely to attribute guilt. The study provided strong empirical support for Black's theory of sociological jurisprudence: the social structure of the case, represented by adversary, lawyer and third-party characteristics, affected how a criminal defendant was processed through the court system. Notes, references, cases cited