Jurors respond negatively to police overreactions to Black Americans
As law enforcement's use of body-worn cameras and dash cams has increased in the U.S., the growth of attorneys' introduction of video evidence in court, including jury trials, has followed.
One such study, which is published in the journal Behavioral Sciences and the Law, suggests both eyewitness race and available body-worn camera footage influence jurors' judgments.
Over 250 people participated as jurors, who were divided into three groups that either saw the actual body-worn camera video, which showed the officer becoming angry and agitated; read a transcript of the video, which included all statements and actions, but could not portray the officer's emotion like the video; or were given the same facts without any mention of body-worn camera footage.
Jurors who saw footage of the arrest, compared with those who read a transcript or were not aware an arrest video was available, were less likely to vote the defendant guilty of resisting arrest, and also rated the officer's use of force less justifiable, and the officer more culpable and less credible.
The effects of body‐worn camera footage and eyewitness race on jurors' perceptions of police use of force, Behavioral Sciences the Law (2020).