Unfair audiobook cover - The New Science of Criminal Justice

Unfair

The New Science of Criminal Justice

Adam Benforado

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Categories:
PsychologySociety & Culture

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Key Takeaways from Unfair

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Mind Map

Unfair
Flawed Human Cognition+
Interrogations & False Confessions+
Courtroom Fallibility+
Judicial Bias & Punishment+
Scientific Systemic Reform+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
How do humans often mislabel situations or victims, such as in the tragic case of David Rosenbaum?
  • A. By relying too heavily on the deliberative mental process to analyze the scene.
  • B. By using the automatic process to form rapid conclusions while ignoring missing pieces of information.
  • C. By consciously choosing to ignore evidence due to deeply ingrained malice.
  • D. By over-analyzing the available evidence before taking any necessary action.
Question 2 of 10
According to the text, why do many innocent suspects falsely confess to crimes during police interrogations?
  • A. They suffer from a pathological desire for attention and public infamy.
  • B. They believe the jury will easily see through the false confession during the trial.
  • C. They seek short-term relief from grueling interrogations and police abuse.
  • D. They are completely unaware of the long-term legal consequences of a confession.
Question 3 of 10
What does the famous Milgram shock experiment illustrate about criminal behavior?
  • A. Most criminals suffer from severe damage to the prefrontal cortex.
  • B. Situational factors and social pressure can push ordinary people to commit harmful acts.
  • C. Criminal behavior is strictly a result of genetic predispositions.
  • D. People only commit violent acts when they lack a virtuous self-image.
Question 4 of 10
How do people, including lawyers, manage to maintain a virtuous self-image while committing unethical acts?
  • A. By publicly confessing their wrongdoings immediately after they happen.
  • B. By strictly adhering to a personal code of ethics that differs from the law.
  • C. By convincing themselves that their actions are actively helping the victims.
  • D. By downplaying the link between their dishonest actions and the harm they cause.
Question 5 of 10
How can video evidence of an interrogation unintentionally bias a jury?
  • A. Low-resolution video makes suspects look more aggressive and untrustworthy.
  • B. Videos that show only the suspect make it more difficult for viewers to detect police coercion.
  • C. Juries tend to completely dismiss video evidence in favor of eyewitness testimony.
  • D. Videos often capture audio frequencies that make the suspect sound guilty.
Question 6 of 10
What surprising finding regarding human memory was demonstrated by the 'Horror Labyrinth' tour study?
  • A. Fear causes witnesses to completely repress traumatic memories.
  • B. Memories of frightening events degrade twice as fast as mundane memories.
  • C. People who experienced fear were significantly better at identifying actors in a lineup.
  • D. Eyewitnesses are highly reliable regardless of their emotional state during the event.
Question 7 of 10
What is 'white-coat syndrome' in the context of the courtroom?
  • A. The tendency of medical professionals to refuse to testify in criminal cases.
  • B. The phenomenon where jurors place blind faith and deference in experts and their technologies.
  • C. A psychological condition where defendants falsely confess to medical professionals.
  • D. The habit of judges to favor defendants who appear neat and professionally dressed.
Question 8 of 10
According to the study of Israeli judges, what significantly influenced the likelihood of a prisoner being granted parole?
  • A. The political affiliation of the judge reviewing the case.
  • B. The severity of the crime originally committed by the prisoner.
  • C. The time of day, with favorable rulings occurring more often right after a food break.
  • D. The gender of the judge's children.
Question 9 of 10
What did the study involving public responses to shark attacks reveal about the US justice system?
  • A. The primary goal of the public is to incapacitate dangerous threats to ensure future safety.
  • B. The public generally prefers leniency when dealing with unpredictable natural events.
  • C. Punishment severity is determined solely by the amount of physical harm caused.
  • D. People are largely driven by a desire for retribution and vengeance rather than pure safety.
Question 10 of 10
According to the book's actionable advice, how should you present data if you want to encourage leniency in a legal or clinical judgment?
  • A. Use raw numbers (e.g., '20 out of 100') to make the risk feel more tangible.
  • B. Use percentages (e.g., 'a 20% probability') rather than raw numbers.
  • C. Avoid using numerical data altogether and rely solely on emotional appeals.
  • D. Present the data visually using charts to distract from the actual statistics.

Unfair — Full Chapter Overview

Unfair Summary & Overview

Unfair (2015) outlines the major flaws inherent to the United States’ justice system. In addition to the unreliability of eyewitness testimony or the arbitrary nature of many judges’ decisions, every actor in the entire justice system – cops, lawyers, jurors and judges alike – is fundamentally, yet unconsciously, biased. Ultimately, the author argues that addressing these blind biases is the key to reforming our justice system.

Who Should Listen to Unfair?

  • Anyone interested in law, ethics and society
  • Lawyers and law students curious about the foundations of the US justice system
  • Anyone with aspirations to change the world for the better

About the Author: Adam Benforado

Adam Benforado is an associate professor of law at Drexel University. He served as a clerk on the United States Court of Appeals and worked as an attorney at Jenner & Block. His scholarly articles, op-eds and essays have appeared in various publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Emory Law Journal.

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