Same As It Ever Was? The Impact of Racial Resentment on White Juror Decision-Making

Limited research has assessed juror decision making in cases of female perpetrated sexual assault and the role played by factors such as the victim’s gender, physiological arousal, and participant’s gender in the decision making process. Participants (n = 215) were presented with one of four trial vignettes that varied the perpetrator and victim’s gender and victim’s physiological arousal. The impact of these variables was examined on guilty verdicts rendered, credibility, and blameworthiness of the victim and accused. Results demonstrate that the male victim was blamed more than the female victim. Further, male participants viewed the male victim to be less credible than the female victim. Lastly, male participants viewed the accused to be more credible when the victim was depicted as a male with signs of physiological arousal. The results reveal the disadvantages a male victim of female perpetrated sexual assault may face if he pursues his sexual assault at trial. Keywords: sexual assault, rape myths, juror bias, gender, physiological arousal

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Pre- and Midtrial Publicity in the Age of Internet and Social Media

10.1093/oso/9780190658113.003.0008 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Tarika Daftary-Kapur ◽

Steven D. Penrod

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Decision Making ◽

Social Media ◽

Internet Use ◽

The United States ◽

Juror Decision Making ◽

The Internet ◽

The Impact ◽

Internet And Social Media

Although juror misconduct has always been a concern, the prevalence of technology available to jurors has increased the ease with which jurors can improperly communicate with others, publish information regarding the trial, and conduct outside research on the case. This chapter discusses the role of the Internet and social media in the courtroom and how access to this information in the form of midtrial publicity might impact juror decision-making. Additionally, it discusses steps that have been taken by courts around the United States to address the issue of Internet use by jurors as well as recommendations to limit the impact of the Internet and social media on juror decision-making.

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The Impact of Legally Relevant Media Exposure on Criminal Juror Decision-Making

10.1093/oso/9780190658113.003.0007 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer L. Groscup

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

News Media ◽

Reality Television ◽

Media Exposure ◽

Future Research ◽

Juror Decision Making ◽

System Reform ◽

Criminal Trials ◽

The Media ◽

The Impact

Exposure to various forms of media can potentially impact decision-making by jurors in criminal trials. Cases like the highly publicized Casey Anthony trial, in which jurors’ media exposure might have affected the verdict, highlight the importance of understanding what messages jurors receive from the media and how those messages might influence their perceptions of trial participants and evidence. This chapter first explores research on the content of legally relevant news media, reality television, and scripted television dramas to better understand the messages the media might be delivering. Next, it reviews research suggesting how various media sources influence the development of legally relevant attitudes and, in turn, juror decision-making. The chapter then investigates the media’s direct influence on juror decision-making, focusing particularly on the CSI Effect. Finally, it discusses recommendations for jury system reform that might decrease media influence as well as future research directions.

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Graphic Evidence of Violence: The Impact on Juror Decision-Making, the Influence of Judicial Instructions and the Effect of Juror Biases

Psychiatry Psychology and Law ◽

10.1375/pplt.2004.11.2.323 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 323-337 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Carleen M. Thompson ◽

Susan Dennison

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Juror Decision Making ◽

Judicial Instructions ◽

The Impact

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Twelve Certain Men: The Impact of Emotional Appraisals on Juror Decision-Making

10.25148/etd.fi13080705 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Stephen W. Joy

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Juror Decision Making ◽

The Impact

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Jurors' expectations and decision-making: Revisiting the CSI effect

10.31234/osf.io/jbwzc ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Chloe Lodge ◽

Mircea Zloteanu

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Juror Decision Making ◽

Mock Jurors ◽

Csi Effect ◽

Crime Severity ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

Technological Means ◽

Perceptions And Expectations ◽

Crime Scenarios ◽

The Impact

It has been argued that the rise in popularity of crime show dramas over the past few years has led to jurors holding unrealistic expectations regarding the type of evidence presented at trial. This has been coined the CSI effect. We investigated the CSI effect and the less well-known Tech effect-assigning more weight to evidence if obtained through technological means-and the impact of crime severity on juror decision-making. However, we argue that as time progresses, such effects will no longer be found to impact juror decision-making processes. We propose that past effects reported in the literature can be explained by considering a novelty bias. Using both frequentist and Bayesian frameworks, we tested this claim. Participants were primed with a newspaper that either contained a forensic, technology, or neutral article. They were then presented with two crime scenarios and asked to provide a verdict and a confidence rating. We find that mock jurors were unaffected by either the priming manipulation or crime severity, finding no evidence for either the CSI or Tech effects. The data suggest jurors are not as easily biased as has been previously argued in the literature, indicating a potential shift in public perceptions and expectations regarding evidence.

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