Zimmerman did not listen to the instructions. A little bit later, neighbors reported gun shots. Georges Zimmerman stated that he had the right to stand his ground and Trayvon Martin allegedly made physical contact with him. Just like Michael Dunn, George Zimmerman also used the "Stand Your Ground " law as his defense. .
Verdicts.
These cases enhance the idea of our justice system being corrupted. It makes people wonder what some factors are that can increase or decrease a criminal in getting a longer or shorter sentence. In earlier times, many jurisdictions were comprised of all white decision makers (Kansul, 2005:1). Since times have progressed, there has been more diversity in the courtroom, but race still plays an important role in many court decisions like the cases I referred to in the beginning of my paper. The jury plays a big role when it comes to the verdict. In the George Zimmerman trial, his jury was made up of six Caucasian females. As for Marissa Alexander she had a jury of three Caucasian females, two Caucasian males and one African-American male. Based on the juries, it shows that racial discrimination plays a big role as well. "Racial discrimination in sentencing today is often a more surreptitious process, manifesting itself in connection with other factors and producing racially discriminatory outcomes in certain situations " (Kansul:3). .
Discrimination.
Race is one of the factors that can determine the length of a person's sentence. Studies have shown that minority defendants will always have a disadvantage against Caucasians defendants. Going further along in these studies there are some effects based on race in sentencing. African-American and Latino defendants are more likely to receive a harsh sentencing than other offenders. They have a disadvantage in regards to legal-process such as trial penalty, sentence reductions, criminal history, and a type of attorney.