NCJ Number
56378
Journal
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Volume: 41 Issue: 3 Dated: (1978) Pages: 256-260
Date Published
1978
Length
6 pages
Annotation
THIS ARTICLE REPORTS RESULTS OF MOCK TRIALS IN WHICH THE DEFENDANTS' SOCIAL STATUS WAS PRESENTED AS EITHER HIGH OR LOW. WHILE NOT AFFECTING THE VERDICTS, HIGHER STATUS DID RESULT IN LONGER SENTENCING.
Abstract
TO DETERMINE THE INFLUENCE OF EXTRANEOUS FACTORS ON JURORS' FINDINGS OF FACT AND DECISIONS ON SENTENCING, MOCK TRIALS WERE CONDUCTED WITH JURORS CHOSEN FROM STUDENT AND COMMUNITY POPULATIONS. SUBJECTS WERE 194 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AND 143 COMMUNITY RESIDENTS, DIVIDED INTO SIX-PERSON JURIES. JURORS LISTENED TO A 30-MINUTE RECORDING OF A MURDER TRIAL. TWO VERSIONS OF THE RECORDING WERE PREPARED, WITH ONE VERSION BEING PRESENTED TO EACH OF TWO GROUPS OF JURIES. THE ONLY DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE TWO RECORDINGS WAS IN THE SOCIAL STATUS ATTRIBUTED TO THE DEFENDANTS. ONE RECORDING DESCRIBED THE DEFENDANTS AS MEDICAL INTERNS, THE OTHER DESCRIBED THEM AS MAINTENANCE WORKERS. JURORS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES INDICATING DEFENDANTS' GUILT OR LACK OF GUILT, AND THE RECOMMENDED SENTENCE IF GUILT WAS DETERMINED. THE VARIATION OF DEFENDANTS' STATUS RESULTED IN NO ALTERATION OF VERDICTS, BUT JURORS DID GIVE LONGER SENTENCES WHEN THE DEFENDANTS' STATUS WAS HIGH THAN WHEN IT WAS LOW. THESE LATTER DATA CONFLICT WITH RESULTS OF OTHER STUDIES, BUT MAY SUGGEST THAT JURIES WILL HAVE HIGHER EXPECTATIONS FOR THE BEHAVIOR OF PROFESSIONALS IN POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. TWK)