A.P.H.A.C.

The Association for Public Health Action in Criminal Justice exists to promote critical analysis of the criminal justice system from a public health perspective. APHAC is an organizational base for students and faculty from diverse academic and professional backgrounds who are committed to 1) identifying, assessing, and addressing the public health impacts of the criminal justice system on people, communities, and other systems; 2) raising awareness about the intersection and common causes of disparities in health and retributive justice; and 3) promoting student participation in public events, student activities, and lectures related to criminal justice issues.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

COURT BANS DEATH PENALTY UNDER RACIAL JUSTICE ACT IN NORTH CAROLINA


A North Carolina court finally takes seriously racial discrimination in selection of jurors in capital cases, as it interprets the Racial Justice Act for the first time. This is a big deal. The court takes seriously robust social science and statistics that showing how race  predicted whether prosecutors chose to exercise preemptory strikes of jurors during voir dire. In other words, the prosecutors were striking black jurors not for any other reason but their race in order to increase the chances of a death sentence. Use of social science to challenge racial discrimination in the criminal justice system continues to be an uphill battle, and this law and the ruling represent a small step in a positive direction to address just one of the many intentional and structural disparities in American justice. 
This type of law needs to be applied to other contexts in the justice system, perhaps more on the front end.
Check out the announcement and comments by Bryan Stevenson on the EJI site

    Posted by at

    No comments:

    Post a Comment

    Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)