When Clifford brokers a small drug deal he doesn’t know that the police are listening in. Clifford is arrested and when the case goes to trial, the recording of the deal is not allowed into evidence by the judge. But the testimony of the police officer is. This becomes the focal point of a courtroom drama that makes it all the way to the Supreme Court of Kentucky.

On this episode of Bad People, Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen are joined by our scientific advisor from the Open University, Dr Lara Frumkin. Her expertise on how the way you speak impacts verdicts, sparks a debate about how the Supreme Court Justices voted in Cliffords case. They examine how racism gets passed down through generations of court rulings and how aversive racism can go undetected.

Warning: This episode includes discussion of racism and strong language

This episode contain clips from ABCnews and CBS, The Late Late Show with James Corden.

CREDITS

Bad People is a BBC Audio Science Production for BBC Sounds.