Judges' Decision-Making Influences
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Questions and Answers

What was significantly influenced by the race of the defendants in the study?

  • Judges' choice of evidence
  • Judges' willingness to convict (correct)
  • Judges' deliberation time
  • Judges' sentencing length

Which method can help judges facilitate a more thorough reasoning process?

  • Taking fewer breaks
  • Collaborating with defendants
  • Drafting scripts or checklists (correct)
  • Using fewer scripts

What assertion did Jerome Frank make regarding judges?

  • Judges are infallible in their decisions.
  • Judges are human and subject to weaknesses. (correct)
  • Judges should avoid emotions in decision-making.
  • Judges' decisions are solely based on evidence.

What is a recommended practice to avoid fatigue during decision-making?

<p>Taking frequent breaks (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the overall goal in understanding judges' weaknesses?

<p>To further a fair and impartial justice system (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What factor was found to influence the severity of sentencing more than race among African-American defendants?

<p>Remorse shown by the defendant (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did federal judges differ in their sentencing of white versus African-American defendants?

<p>They issued more downward departures for white defendants. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does research suggest about judges' implicit biases in their decision-making?

<p>They only correlate with judgment when the race of the defendant is unclear. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What effect did skin tone have on the sentencing of African-American defendants in Georgia?

<p>Light-skinned African Americans received shorter sentences than dark-skinned. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was the conclusion regarding the role of racial discretion in sentencing systems?

<p>States with less restrictive systems showed greater racial disparities. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did studies reveal about the influence of race when judges were aware of a defendant's race?

<p>Judges treated both African-American and white defendants indistinctively. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did research conducted on sentencing guidelines systems demonstrate about federal judges?

<p>They still showed bias towards race even after changes to guidelines. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was a finding regarding implicit racial biases among judges in relation to negative associations?

<p>Judges more closely associated African Americans with negative concepts. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Racial Bias in Sentencing

Prosecutors, pretrial officers, and even judges may show bias against African-American defendants, leading to harsher bail and sentencing decisions.

Judge Sentencing Bias

Studies suggest judges might treat evidence and remorse differently depending on the defendant's race.

Downward Departures

Federal judges grant more lenient sentencing for White defendants, compared to African-Americans, even when crimes are similar.

Sentencing Disparities

Unfair treatment or difference in treatment of defendants based on race.

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Implicit Racial Bias

Unconscious racial prejudices affecting decisions, even those by judges.

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Experimental Evidence

Studies using experiments show some judges are biased, but not always. How a defendant's race is presented matters.

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Skin Tone Influence

Skin color, particularly in African-Americans, is a factor in sentencing decisions, even after controlling for criminal history.

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Afrocentric Features

Physical features associated with African descent also influence sentencing decisions.

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Implicit Attitudes Influence Judges

Judges' decisions can be influenced by unconscious biases, particularly those related to race, even if the case doesn't directly present racial information.

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Judge's Decisional Factors

Judges' decision-making can be affected by factors like fatigue, limited time, and the interaction between the judge's race and the defendant's race.

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Strategies for Careful Reasoning

Judges can employ strategies like using scripts, checklists, or encouraging thorough argumentation to improve decision-making.

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Human Factors in Judging

Judges, like all humans, are susceptible to biases and influence from emotions, tiredness, and other human frailties.

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Importance of Understanding Judge Weaknesses

We should understand how judges can be vulnerable to error to improve the justice system, not to criticize them.

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