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This research aims to evaluate how defendant race and jury composition impact verdict decisions in a criminal trial setting.

July 11, 2026Law and Human BehaviorOpen Access

Investigating the predictive value of defendant race and jury racial composition on decision making in a criminal trial.

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Randomized trial investigates verdict influences of defendant race and jury composition, suggesting leniency shifts occur regardless of race.

This research aims to evaluate how defendant race and jury composition impact verdict decisions in a criminal trial setting.
Participants (N=174) watched a trial video and provided individual verdicts.
Participants were divided into racially heterogeneous juries and deliberated for up to 60 minutes.
Final verdicts were reported after group discussions.
Majority of guilty verdicts came from all-White juries judging White defendants.
26.0% of jurors convicted before deliberation compared to 5.8% of juries post-deliberation.
Deliberation led to leniency shifts not predicted by defendant race or jury composition.

Maeder et al. (2026) studied this question.

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Randomized trial investigates verdict influences of defendant race and jury composition, suggesting leniency shifts occur regardless of race.