Race, Crime and Justice: Understanding the Death and Trial of Trayvon Martin

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

The killing of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent trial of George Zimmerman has sparked an intense national debate about race and justice in America. This case raises important issues at the intersection of race, ethnicity, crime and justice that have a long history in this American culture. This panel will use the Martin/Zimmerman case as a springboard to examine the racialization of justice in contemporary society. More specifically, the papers presented will explore the causes and consequences of Martin’s death and Zimmerman’s acquittal in order to highlight the larger social, political, and legal processes that influence both the administration of justice and perceptions of its legitimacy in the United States.

Sub Unit

• Area IV. Criminal Justice Policy and Practice / 40. Prosecution, Courts and Sentencing

Individual Presentations

• Profiling Trayvon: Young Black Males, Suspicion and Surveillance - Jacinta Gau, University of Central Florida; Kareem L. Jordan, University of Central Florida

• Reaction to the Zimmerman Verdict: A Critical Analysis of Media, Political and Public Response in the Age of Social Networking - Chenelle Jones, Ohio Dominican University; Mia Ortiz, Bridgewater State University

• Understanding Acquittals: Race and Judicial Perceptions of the Accuracy of Not-Guilty Verdicts - Amy Farrell, Northeastern University; Patricia Warren, Florida State University; Devon Johnson, George Mason University

• The Evolution of Stand Your Ground Laws in Florida - Katheryn Russell-Brown, University of Florida

Chair

• Patricia Warren, Florida State University