Statistics – Probability
Determining Whether a Jury Selection Process Is Biased
Assume that 12 jurors are randomly selected from a population in which 80% of
the people are Mexican-Americans. Refer to Table 5-1 and find the indicated
probability.
a. Using the probability values in Table 5.1, find the
probability value that should be used for determining whether the result of 11
Mexican-Americans among 12 jurors is usually high.
b. Does the selection of 11 Mexican-American jurors
suggested that the selection process favors Mexican-Americans? Why or why not?
Table 5-1
Probability Distribution: Probabilities of Numbers of
Mexican-Americans on a Jury of 12, Assuming That Jurors are Randomly Selected
from a Population in Which 80% of the Eligible People are Mexican-Americans.
x (Mexican-Americans) P(x)
0 0+
1 0+
2 0+
3 0+
4 0.001
5 0.003
6 0.016
7 0.053
8 0.133
9 0.236
10 0.283
11 0.206
12 0.069





