Download or read book Jurors and Rape written by Hubert S. Feild and published by Great Source Education Group. This book was released on 1980 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Juror Attitudes and Biases in Sexual Assault Cases written by Natalie Taylor and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 6 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sexual assault has among the highest rates of acquittal and lowest rates of proven guilt compared with other offences. Given that more than 70 percent of sexual assault incidents are not reported to police and only about one in 10 reported incidents results in a guilty finding, increasing conviction rates for sexual assault is a key issue for the criminal justice system. This paper presents findings from two recent studies conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology. These show that juror judgements in rape trials are influenced more by the attitudes, beliefs and biases about rape which jurors bring with them into the courtroom than by the objective facts presented, and that stereotypical beliefs about rape and victims of it still exist within the community. As jurors are members of the community and are randomly drawn in order to be representative of it, the two studies together indicate that successful prosecutions of sexual assault will remain low until we acknowledge that jurors interpret what they see in light of their own beliefs, experience and expectations. We need to know what these belief structures are and how they directly impact upon judgements in rape trials, if conviction rates are to improve.
Download or read book The Impact of Pre recorded Video and Closed Circuit Television Testimony by Adult Sexual Assault Complainants on Jury Decision making written by Natalie Taylor and published by National Gallery of Australia. This book was released on 2005 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report presents the findings from a mock sexual assault jury trial research project conducted on behalf of the New South Wales Attorney General's Department in 2005. The project aimed to investigate whether the impact of adult sexual assault complainant testimony on juror perceptions and decisions differs if presented via closed circuit television (CCTV), pre-recorded videotape or face-to-face in the courtroom. The study also investigated the impact of emotional versus neutral complainant testimony. Eighteen mock trials were held in a mock courtroom in which 210 members of the public participated as jurors. After watching the trial but before jury deliberation, jurors completed individual questionnaires which investigated their perceptions of complainant credibility, empathy with the complainant, overall impression of the complainant, empathy with the accused, overall impression of the accused and personal beliefs about guilt of the accused. After jury deliberation, jurors completed a questionnaire which asked again about their beliefs about guilt of the accused. Jurors also completed a questionnaire about their attitudes toward rape victims in general. The report outlines the methodology used, the key findings, issues arising from juror feedback and the difficulties encountered by jurors in trying to reach unanimous verdicts. The study finds, overall, that immediately following the trial but before jury deliberation, mode of presentation of testimony (face-to-face, CCTV or pre-recorded videotape) did not impact differentially on juror perceptions of the complainant or the accused, or guilt of the accused. The degree to which the complainant was upset while giving her testimony (emotional) or calm (neutral) was also not found to impact in any consistent pattern on juror perceptions or decisions. One of the key insights obtained during this study was the high degree to which many jurors believed many of the "myths" which surround rape in general. Acceptance of these myths means that many jurors have strong expectations about how a "real" victim would behave before, during and after an alleged sexual assault. These expectations impact on their perceptions of the complainant's credibility. Other key issues were the difficulty juries experienced in defining reasonable doubt, and the difficulty of understanding what was meant by "consent".
Download or read book Rape Trials in England and Wales written by Olivia Smith and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-03-26 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In light of ongoing concerns about the treatment of survivors, Rape Trials in England and Wales critically examines court responses to rape and sexual assault. Using new data from an in-depth observational study of rape trials, this book asks why attempts to improve survivor experiences at court have not been fully effective. In doing so, Smith identifies deep-rooted barriers to survivor justice and, crucially, introduces potential avenues for more effective reform. This book provides a comprehensive examination of the practicalities of court, use of rape myths and sexual history evidence, underlying principles of adversarial justice and the impact of inequalities embedded within English and Welsh legal culture. This engaging and highly significant study is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the criminal courts and their responses to rape, including practitioners and students of criminology, sociology, and law.
Download or read book Sexual History Evidence in Rape Trials written by Charlotte Herriott and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-03-16 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an in-depth examination of current, high-profile debates about the use of sexual history evidence in rape trials and its impact on jurors. In doing so, it presents findings of the first mock jury dataset in England and Wales to explore how jurors interpret, discuss, and rely upon such evidence within their deliberations. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative insights from the 18 mock jury panels, the book highlights the complex, nuanced and intersectional impact of sexual history evidence within the deliberative ideal. Indeed, findings exemplified routine and ongoing prejudicial framings of sexual history amongst jurors, and frequent endorsement of rape myths that served to mistakenly infer relevance and undermine the perceived credibility of the complainant. The findings discussed within this book are therefore key to addressing the current knowledge gap around the impact of sexual history evidence and are embedded within broader discussions about evidential legitimacy in rape trials. The book draws on good practice observed in other jurisdictions to makes numerous recommendations for change. Aiming to inform academic, policy, and legislative discussions in this area, Sexual History Evidence in Rape Trials will be of great interest to students and scholars of Criminal Law and Criminology, as well as policy makers and legal practitioners. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylor francis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution- Non Commercial- No Derivatives 4.0 license.
Download or read book Jurors and Rape written by H. S. Feild and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Psychology of Jury Verdicts written by Jeannette L. Gerzon and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book JUROR PERCEPTIONS IN A RAPE TRIAL INFLUENCE OF COMPLAINANT SUBSTANCE USE AND JUROR EDUCATION ABOUT CONSENT LAWS AND RAPE MYTHS written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although rape is prevalent in the United States, conviction rates for perpetrators are low. Before developing a solution for low conviction rates in rape cases, researchers must examine factors that influence juror decisions in rape trials. The current study investigated the influence of complainant substance use and juror education about rape myths and sexual consent laws. Mock jurors were randomly assigned to one of twelve conditions and after reading the rape trial summary were asked to rate defendant guilt and complainant and defendant blameworthiness and credibility. Mock jurors in the education condition rated the defendant as significantly guiltier and more to blame for the sexual assault than did mock jurors in the no education condition.
Download or read book Sexual Assault Trials written by Paul DerOhannesian (II) and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Sexual Assault and the Justice Gap A Question of Attitude written by Jennifer Temkin and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2008-04-15 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is set against the background of the 'justice gap' in sexual assault cases - the dramatic gap between the number of offences recorded by the police and the number of convictions. It seeks to examine the attitudinal problems which bedevil this area of law and possible strategies for addressing them. Written by a professor of law and a professor of psychology, it reviews evidence from socio-legal and social cognition research and presents new data drawn both from interviews with judges and barristers and from studies with prospective lawyers and members of the public. In the final part, it considers different ways in which rape trials could be improved and suggests steps that could be taken to change public attitudes about sexual assault.
Download or read book When Cases Fit the Gist of Rape But Not the Verbatim Definition and Vice Versa written by Alisha Meschkow and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jurors have duties to follow strict interpretations of the law when making decisions about defendant guilt. However, jurors are not blank slates – by the time trial has started, eligible jurors (i.e. adults) have already accumulated strong senses of gist (intuition) built upon experience, emotion, and moral reasoning irrespective of the law. We investigate the impact of verbatim (violations of rote legal definitions) and gist (bottom-line or essence) manipulations of rape on juror decision-making. Despite jury instructions, we predict that legal verdicts will be influenced by gist. Conversely, we predict that verbatim manipulations will influence personal assignments of guilt such that scenarios that violate the law will be judged as more immoral or personally violating. The first experiment measured responses to scenarios involving alcohol (N = 158) and scenarios involving age disparities (N = 206). Participants received one of four combinations of two cases, giving two verdicts per case, resulting in 4 total responses. These verdicts corresponded to whether the actions in the scenario rose to the level of rape legally and personally - participants gave hard legal verdicts (guilty and not guilty) as if participants were on a jury, and personal verdicts that corresponded to personal expectations of rape (still coded as guilty/not guilty). The presence of verbatim violations and gist violations of rape both significantly increased the rate of legal and personal verdicts, implying that 1) the gist of rape inflates legal guilty verdicts and 2) written law inflates personal opinions of what qualifies as rape while controlling for rape myth acceptance (endorsement of myths related to sexual assault and aggression). Experiment 2 (N = 258) improved upon the methods of Experiment 1. The age scenario was revised, and scenarios related to coercion and deception replaced alcohol. Overall, age-related scenarios were more influenced by verbatim, and coercion and deception were more overall influenced by gist. Follow-up studies with gender, survivor status, and law enforcement are suggested for informing relevant policy.
Download or read book Rape Law Reform written by Cassia Spohn and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-27 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book evolved from our interest in rape as feminists and as sodal sdentists. As feminists, we were concemed about the treatment of rape victims and the attrition in rape cases under traditional rape law, and we welcomed legal reforms designed to improve the situation. As sodal sdentists, we wondered about the efficacy of legal changes aimed at an inherently resistant court system. We also were curious about the lack of studies examining the impact of these changes; we were particularly surprised to find that no one had attempted to ana lyze the impact of the reforms in more than one jurisdiction. Con vinced that untangling the effects of the reforms from the effects of contextual factors required a multijurisdictional study, we deeided to undertake the project. We quickly discovered that evaluating rape law reform in several jurisdictions would be no easy task. We had deeided that such an evaluation would require monthly data on the outcome of rape cases before and after the reforms were implemented, as weIl as qualitative data on the attitudes of criminal justice officials toward the reforms. Because states do not generate monthly data on case outcomes, we would have to collect the data ourse1ves from court records main tained by individual jurisdictions. To obtain an adequate number of cases for the time-series analysis, we would have to select our sites from large urban jurisdictions scattered throughout the United States.
Download or read book Rape written by Julie A. Allison and published by SAGE. This book was released on 1993-06-21 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rape: The Misunderstood Crime is an excellent resource for professionals and students of psychology, sociology, education, social work, criminal justice, and law who seek to dispel "rape myths" and wish to better understand the nature and dynamics of both the rapist and the victim.
Download or read book Jurors Evaluations of Rape Victims written by Molly Elizabeth Hammerberg and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Juror Perceptions in a Rape Trial Examining the Complainant s Ingestion of Chemical Substances Prior to Sexual Assault written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite the high incidence of rape in the United States, there are comparatively low rates of reports, arrests, and convictions. More research is needed to examine the factors that influence trial decisions for rape cases. This study examined the impact of a rape complainant?s willingness to ingest a chemical substance (willing or unwilling) and the type of ingested substance (alcohol, GHB, or marijuana) on the decisions of 229 mock jurors. Overall, jurors were biased by the complainant?s use of substances, the complainant?s choice about using, and by rape myths. The complainant?s use of alcohol, regardless of the willingness to use, led to the highest guilt ratings for the defendant. Complainants who willingly ingested a substance were viewed as less credible and more to blame for the rape, compared to those who unwillingly used a substance. The complainant was perceived as the most credible when she unwillingly ingested GHB or marijuana.
Download or read book Bodies in Evidence written by Heather R. Hlavka and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2021-11-09 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner, 2021-2022 AES Senior Book Prize, awarded by the American Ethnological Society Honorable Mention, Senior Book Prize of the Association for Feminist Anthropology Uncovers how the process of sexual assault adjudication reinforces inequality and becomes a public spectacle of violence For victims in sexual assault cases, trials rarely result in justice. Instead, the courts drag defendants, victims, and their friends and family through a confusing and protracted public spectacle. Along the way, forensic scientists, sexual assault nurse examiners, and police officers provide their insight and expertise, shaping the story that emerges for the judge and jury. These expert narratives intersect with the stories of victims, witnesses, and their communities to reproduce our cultural understandings of sexual violence, but too often this process results in reinscribing racial, gendered, and class inequalities. Bodies in Evidence draws on observations of over 680 court appearances in Milwaukee County’s felony sexual assault courts, as well as interviews with judges, attorneys, forensic scientists, jurors, sexual assault nurse examiners, and victim advocates. It shows how forensic science helps to propagate public misunderstandings of sexual violence by bestowing an aura of authority to race and gender stereotypes and inequalities. Expert testimony reinforces the idea that sexual assault is physically and emotionally recognizable and always leaves material evidence. The court’s reliance on the presence of forensic evidence infuses these very familiar stereotypes and myths about sexual assault with new scientific authority. Powerful, unflinching, and at times heartbreaking, Bodies in Evidence reveals the human cost of sexual assault adjudication, and the social cost we all bear when investing in forms of justice that reproduce inequality and racial injustice.
Download or read book Convicted by Juries Exonerated by Science written by Edward F. Connors and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 1996 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The development of DNA technology furthers the search for truth by helping police & prosecutors in the fight against violent crime. Most of the individuals whose stories are told in the report were convicted after jury trials & were sentenced to long prison terms. They successfully challenged their convictions, using DNA tests on existing evidence. They had served, on average, seven years in prison. By highlighting the importance & utility of DNA evidence, this report presents challenges to the scientific & justice communities. A task ahead is to maintain the highest standards for the collection & preservation of DNA evidence.
