E4a1 How defendant characteristics affect jury decision-making Flashcards
Defendant
person who has been accused of crime and now in court
Verdict
decision made by jury- can be guilty or innocent
Testimony
evidence given by a witness, expert, or person the defendant knows well
Sterotype
general view of person based on little or no factual info
What happens in a courtroom?
1) jury- randomly selected 12 ppl from local area. They listen to all the evidence and testimony by defence and prosecution.
2) jurors talk to each other in private and make decision. If guilty, judge decides on sentence
Race as a factor in defendant characteristics
higher no. of ethnic minorities in prison (15%) than in UK general population (8%). If jury has stereotype of black men as more likely to commit crime, then they’re more likely to find them guilty- might explain high no. of minorities in prison
Some studies w/ mock juries found that white jurors more likely to find black defendant guilty and that they might receive harsher sentences for the same crime
Skolnick and Shaw
looked @ relationship between race of jurors and race of defendants. Found that both black and white jurors less likely to find black defendant guilty (goes against other studies) and that black jurors more likely to find white defendant guilty
Attractiveness as a factor in defendant characteristics
attractive ppl often seen as more intelligent, friendly and honest- less likely to judge them guilty for crime.
Taylor and Butcher
conducted mock jury study. Found that more attractive ppl judged as less guilty of crime and given lower sentence.
Accent as a factor in defendant characteristics
if defendant well-spoken. jury may find them “not guilty” for robbery. If defendant has strong regional accent. jury may see them as needing more money and find them guilty
Mahoney and Dixon
conducted experiment into accents. Found that “Brummies” (ppl for Birmingham) more likely to be found guilty of armed robbery than cheque fraud compared to well-spoken defendant
