Defendant characteristics &

jury decision making

Learning objectives• Explore how psychology investigates

jury decision making.

• Investigate how defendant characteristics affect jury decision making.

Starter• At the side of each

photo, using a scale of 1-5 (1 being not at all & 5 being very), write down how sociable, intelligent, trustworthy and competent you think they are.

• How did you make your decision?

How defendant characteristics affect jury decision making

• There are many ways of studying crime in criminological psychology.

• This study is about how juries make decisions about a defendant.

• It is unlikely that you have ever seen inside a courtroom.

• Most of us believe that it is where justice takes place. However psychologists have looked at how juries make their decisions and believe that it might not be as fair as we think.

• We often see attractive people as friendly and trustworthy.

• Are juries equally inclined to rush to the same decision when they see an attractive person accused of a crime?

Task

Write down the key definitions of the following: (pg. 196 in your text book)

1. Defendant2. Verdict3. Testimony4. Stereotype

What happens in a courtroom?

• Serious criminal offences are dealt with in a court of law with a judge and a jury.

• The jury is a group of 12 people who have been randomly selected from the local area.

What happens in a courtroom?

• During the trial the jury listens to all evidence and testimony presented by the defence and the prosecution.

• The jurors then talk to each other in private before making a decision.

• If the jury comes to a guilty verdict, the judge then decides on a sentence.

• However sometimes innocent people are sent to prison or guilty people are released.

Can juries make mistakes?

Why do you think that juries can make mistakes? Write down your answers in your book.

Defendant characteristics

• How a defendant looks, acts or sounds affect how they are viewed by a jury.

• When we meet someone new we often base our decision of them on a few features that are stereotypical.

• What do you think our stereotypical view might be of this person?

Who would you convict?• Look at the 2 pictures below. Who would

you convict for a crime of robbery?

• How did you come to your decision?• What defendant characteristic do you think this is?

RaceHow do you think that race can affect jury decision

making?

• There is a higher proportion of ethnic minorities in prison (15%) compared to 8% of the UK general population.

• We have a stereotypical view that black men are more likely to commit a crime.

• Studies have found that that white jurors are more likely to find a black defendant guilty compared to a white one.

• Black defendants also receive harsher sentences than a white defendant for the same crime.

• Write down what Skolnick & Shaw (1977) concluded from their study.

Who committed a crime?Look at the photos below.

• Which of these men do you think committed murder?

• How did you come to your decision?• What defendant characteristic do you think this

is?

Answers

David Russell Williams Pride of the Canadian Forces Williams was convicted of assault and murder on many women. Through it all he kept written and photographic records.

Michael Graham Spent 14 years on death row in Louisiana for a crime he did not commit. Graham was convicted of murder in 1987. After 14 years of wrongful imprisonment, the state of Louisiana gave Graham a $10 check and an overcoat that was five sizes too big. By the time of his release, Graham had spent half of his adult life on death row.

Attractiveness

How do you think attractiveness can affect jury decision making?

• Attractive people are seen as more intelligent, friendly and honest.

• We are less likely to judge an attractive person guilty of a crime.

Who would you convict?Listen to the 2 different accents. Who would you convict for a crime of robbery? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzb7BanTuXw&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuPsoPIzRXQ

• How did you come to your decision?

• What defendant characteristic do you think this is?

Accent• People with a ‘rough’ or strong regional

accent are often found ‘guilty’ of robbery as they are seen as needing more money than a posh defendant.

• Mahoney & Dixon (2002) found that

‘Brummies’ were more likely to be found guilty of armed robbery than cheque fraud compared to a defendant with a posh accent.

Question

Michaela is a jury member. She is watching a burglary case. When talking to other jury members she discovers that some of them are basing their decision on the evidence presented in court. Explain Michaela’s experience of the jury members.

Investigation task Complete the investigation sheet of Sigall and Ostroves (1975) study on attractiveness and jury-decision making

Remember to achieve at least a C grade you must include a conclusion as well as strengths & weaknesses