NCJ Number
101815
Journal
Journal of Applied Social Psychology Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Dated: (1986) Pages: 322-347
Date Published
1986
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This research examines the jury deliberation process as well as how the content of deliberations contributes to the final verdict.
Abstract
One hundred six-person groups participated in the study. The majority of subjects (582) were qualified jurors recruited from jury pool rosters in Dane County, Wis., in 1981-82. Of these, two-thirds had served on a jury, and the remaining had been summoned but not seated. An additional 18 subjects were undergraduate registered voters. The jurors viewed a videotaped trial involving three offenses, deliberated in groups of six, and reached group verdicts on each charge. Deliberations were videotaped and subjected to content analysis. Data analyses were performed to address several research questions. First, the study examined individual and group voting behavior as well as the possibility of predicting final verdicts from initial votes. Second, researchers analyzed the content of deliberations using a detailed coding scheme. Third, the study investigated the relationship among initial votes, deliberation content, and final votes. These analyses assessed the relative contribution of normative and informational influence on the final verdict. The study also analyzed the impact of persuasion during deliberation on jurors' thought processes following deliberation. The initial vote distribution was a good predictor of the verdict; majorities tended to prevail. Deliberation content consisted primarily of case facts and jurors' statements of verdict preferences. Path analyses indicate that decisions on the first charge were based on deliberation content and the group vote distribution; decisions on later charges were based largely on normative pressures. Jurors' postdeliberation trial impressions were affected by whether or not they had changed votes during deliberations. 36 references and 2 tables.