Download or read book Predictive Value of Pretrial Attitudes and the Influence of Eyewitness Credibility on Juror Decision Making written by Rachel Micheline Griffin and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present study examined the effect of eyewitness credibility level on verdict outcome, juror verdict confidence, prosecution and defense case strength ratings, and perceived credibility ratings for the eyewitness, police officer, and alibi witness. It was predicted that those who read testimony from a highly credible eyewitness would favor the prosecution case more than those who read testimony from a less credible eyewitness. Pretrial juror conviction biases were predicted to moderate the effect of eyewitness credibility; those with higher levels of conviction bias would be less affected by the low eyewitness credibility manipulation. The participants (N = 99) were randomly assigned to either the low or high eyewitness credibility condition after completing the Pretrial Juror Attitudes Questionnaire (PJAQ). After reading a brief trial transcript describing an armed robbery and first-degree murder case, the participants were asked to render a verdict, rate their confidence in their decision, rate the attorneys case strengths, and evaluate the witnesses. None of the hypotheses were supported by the data analysis. However, the eyewitness credibility manipulation produced significant group differences on verdict confidence and perceived eyewitness credibility. The PJAQ subscales predicted the case strength of the prosecution and the witnesses credibility ratings, although the direction of these relationships varied. The unexpected findings of the present study reflect the need for more refined legal research on the factors that influence juror decision making.

Download or read book Expert Testimony on the Psychology of Eyewitness Identification written by Brian L. Cutler and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-08-27 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eyewitness testimony is highly compelling in a criminal trial, and can have an indelible impact on jurors. However, two decades of research on the subject have shown us that eyewitnesses are sometimes wrong, even when they are highly confident that they are making correct identifications. This book brings together an impressive group of researchers and practicing attorneys to provide current overviews and critiques of key topics in eyewitness testimony.

Download or read book Mistaken Identification written by Brian L. Cutler and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1995-08-25 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines traditional safeguards against mistaken eyewitness identification.

Download or read book Forensic Facial Identification written by Tim Valentine and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-06-22 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forensic Facial Identification “A broad view of contemporary eyewitness research in both traditional and emerging areas. The international cast of contributors particularly highlights the interplay between law and research across countries — with lessons for all.” Steven D. Penrod, Distinguished Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice “At an age where we are relying more than ever on facial identification to ensure public safety, this volume represents an important milestone in ensuring our decisions are informed by the latest developments in technology and science. International experts provide practitioners with an exhaustive review of the tools needed to identify and investigate cases relying on facial identification, be they terror suspects or victims of disaster. What is unique about this book is that experts are encouraged to learn from mistakes made in the past and to equip themselves with theory and science to enable them to best use identification evidence to avoid miscarriages of justice. An outstanding contribution to the field.” Amina Memon, Professor of Psychology Royal Holloway, University of London Forensic Facial Identification provides an up-to-date set of best practices for professionals using eyewitness identification to solve crimes of all kinds. The book brings together a prominent group of contributors to discuss the latest scientific and technical advancements and their implications for practice. The contributors review current procedures for various facial identification methods and discuss their use and reliability. The chapters examine traditional forms of eyewitness identification, such as mugshots and line-ups, but also delve into newer technologies, such as facial identification using CCTV images and computerized automatic face recognition systems. Detailed case studies help put the latest research and technology in the proper legal context. Bridging the fields of psychology, criminology, and law, this essential volume, part of the Wiley Series in Crime, Policing and Law, is for those wishing to stay at the cutting-edge of this expanding and changing field.

Download or read book On the Witness Stand written by Hugo Münsterberg and published by . This book was released on 1908 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Identifying the Culprit written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-01-16 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Identifying the Culprit: Assessing Eyewitness Identification makes the case that better data collection and research on eyewitness identification, new law enforcement training protocols, standardized procedures for administering line-ups, and improvements in the handling of eyewitness identification in court can increase the chances that accurate identifications are made. This report explains the science that has emerged during the past 30 years on eyewitness identifications and identifies best practices in eyewitness procedures for the law enforcement community and in the presentation of eyewitness evidence in the courtroom. In order to continue the advancement of eyewitness identification research, the report recommends a focused research agenda.

Download or read book Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-07-29 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community. The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. While this book provides an essential call-to-action for congress and policy makers, it also serves as a vital tool for law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecutors and attorneys, and forensic science educators.

Download or read book How Pretrial Publicity Affects Juror Decision Making and Memory written by Christine L. Ruva and published by Nova Science Pub Incorporated. This book was released on 2010 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pretrial publicity (PTP) has been found to have a biasing effect on jury decision making. This chapter explores how research and theory in cognitive psychology has been used to examine the mechanisms responsible for PTP's biasing effects on jury decisions. This research can assist the courts in finding effective remedies for PTP bias. This research suggests that jury deliberations can increase (polarise) juror bias and therefore, cannot be counted on to remedy the effect of PTP on jury decision making. This book also reviews research and theory examining whether memory errors (e.g., source misattributions) and biases of individual jurors are likely to be corrected by jury members during deliberations.

Download or read book An Examination of the Role of Attractiveness and Self esteem in Jury Decision Making written by Miriam Shaye McAlexander and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: This study looks at how the facial attractiveness of defendants in the judicial system can influence the decisions of the jury. Past research has shown that there are many benefits to being viewed as a more attractive person. One thing that is not as clear is how the traits and personalities of the individual jurors might interact with how they convict and sentence these defendants. Using a survey which includes two faces with different levels of attractiveness as well as scales to measure self-esteem, Social Dominance Orientation, and Global Belief in a Just World, this study was designed to determine if differences in personal attributes of the jurors have any influence or interactions on the decisions they make when also taking into account the facial attractiveness of the defendant. The results indicated that females were more likely to be influenced by attractiveness of the defendant. There was also a marginally significant interaction found between self-esteem and attraction when looking at sentencing. These results show that lower levels of self-esteem are related to participants giving longer sentences. This study also shows that participants scoring higher in Social Dominance Orientation were more likely to give a guilty verdict. Though this study had its limitations, it shows how factors like attractiveness of defendant and personality traits of the juror can influence outcomes in jury trials. The implications that a study like this could have could prove very beneficial in the future when looking at how to bring more objectivity into the courts.

Download or read book What U S Defense Attorneys Know about Facial Composites written by Marisa Jaross and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Innocence Project's DNA exoneration database (2018) indicates that approximately 27% of wrongful conviction cases containing eyewitness evidence also included a composite or sketch of the perpetrator. This statistic is alarming, given that composites are rarely used in criminal investigations (PERF, 2013), but not surprising considering "good" composites are notoriously difficult to construct (e.g., Wells, Charman, & Olson, 2005). It is well understood that eyewitness evidence can be particularly persuasive evidence of guilt for juries and thus we were interested in learning more about how defense attorneys prepare for trial with respect to this specific type of eyewitness evidence. The overall purpose of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, education, training, and litigation experience defense attorneys have regarding composites through a survey methodology. We hypothesized that participants would have some knowledge about general eyewitness identification issues but would mostly be poorly trained and educated on composites. We also hypothesized that defense attorneys would report having been relatively unsuccessful in their attempts to suppress composite evidence at trial. The results supported our hypotheses. We anticipate that the results may benefit defense attorneys in future motions to suppress, both at trial and post-conviction hearings, and assist them in protecting their clients from wrongful conviction.

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Personality and Social Psychology written by Kay Deaux and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-10-02 with total page 993 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second edition of The Oxford Handbook of Personality and Social Psychology beautifully captures the history, current status, and future prospects of personality and social psychology. Building on the successes and strengths of the first edition, this second edition of the Handbook combines the two fields of personality and social psychology into a single, integrated volume, offering readers a unique and generative agenda for psychology. Over their history, personality and social psychology have had varying relationships with each other-sometimes highly overlapping and intertwined, other times contrasting and competing. Edited by Kay Deaux and Mark Snyder, this Handbook is dedicated to the proposition that personality and social psychology are best viewed in conjunction with one another and that the synergy to be gained from considering links between the two fields can do much to move both areas of research forward in order to better enrich our collective understanding of human nature. Contributors to this Handbook not only offer readers fascinating examples of work that cross the boundaries of personality and social psychology, but present their work in such a way that thinks deeply about the ways in which a unified social-personality perspective can provide us with a greater understanding of the phenomena that concern psychological investigators. The chapters of this Handbook effortlessly weave together work from both disciplines, not only in areas of longstanding concern, but also in newly emerging fields of inquiry, addressing both distinctive contributions and common ground. In so doing, they offer compelling evidence for the power and the potential of an integrated approach to personality and social psychology today.

Download or read book Examining the Impact of Expert Testimony and Judicial Instructions on Juror Decision Making written by Shirley Joseph and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 8 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faulty eyewitness identification has contributed to the majority of exonerations due to wrongful convictions (Yarmey, 2001). Safeguards such as eyewitness testimony and judicial instructions were designed to aid jurors in evaluating this type of evidence (Cutler, Dexter & Penrod, 1989; Greene, 1988; Wells & Olson, 2003). The aim of the present study was to test whether expert eyewitness testimony and judicial instructions improve juror decision-making. Community members and undergraduate students watched a videotape of a rape trial, which varied in the quality of the eyewitness identification as well as the type of safeguard presented. System variables (feedback, lineup instructions, and lineup procedure) were manipulated where participants heard about either good or poor police practices. Additionally, participants were randomly placed in the expert, Henderson instructions or control conditions. Good police practices increased witness ratings in terms of credibility of the eyewitness, detective and defendant. It also increased the odds for a conviction. Henderson instructions did not influence jurors' verdicts.

Download or read book Litigation Strategies for Suggestive Identification Evidence written by Elaina M. Welch and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To determine the best litigation strategy for defense attorneys presented with suggestive eyewitness evidence, I tested the influence of identifications obtained through in-court and out-of-court identification procedures on jurors' decision-making. I recruited Mock jurors through Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) (N = 375) to watch a videotaped simulation of a robbery trial in which I varied whether the eyewitness made an in-court or out-of-court identification and the suggestiveness of the out-of-court identification procedure. Watching a trial with either an in-court or out-of-court identification procedure increased jurors' likelihood to convict. Mock jurors who viewed a trial with an out-of-court identification procedure had higher odds of rendering a guilty verdict than did jurors' who viewed an in-court identification procedure. When either an in-court or out-of-court identification procedure were present, jurors rated the prosecution's case to be stronger and estimated there was a higher probability that the defendant committed the crime. Although jurors recognized differences in the suggestiveness of the identification procedures, the procedures' suggestiveness did not affect jurors' decision to convict. Considering both identification procedures increased the prosecution's case strength and conviction rates, but the odds of a guilty verdict were less with in-court identification than with an out-of-court identification, the best litigation strategy for defense attorneys who are presented with suggestive eyewitness evidence is to suppress the out-of-court identification and allow an in-court identification.

Download or read book The Trial as Whodunit written by Samuel Robert Tepper and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Past research has shown that the degree of detail exhibited in eyewitness testimony can have a profound impact on juror perceptions. Research has also shown, however, that language effects, e.g. questions asked of witnesses, can change an eyewitness' testimony and even alter his or her memory of the events to which he or she is testifying. The story model, systematic and heuristic processing, and attribution theory are invoked here to show that a trial is a whodunit in which prosecution and defense attorneys compete with one another to convince the jury of the veracity of their version of events. It's the jury's job to unravel the mystery and judge which of the two stories best accounts for the facts. Since a case can hinge on the credibility of the eyewitness, attorneys must portray their witnesses in the best light possible and seek to discredit those of the opposing counsel. The degree of detail in eyewitness testimony was varied as was the question type that elicited the testimony and whether or not the eyewitness was discredited. Findings indicate that perceptions of the eyewitness' memory are important with regards to the formation of other perceptions by jurors of eyewitnesses. Further, the mode of questioning seems to be more important than the degree of detail provided in testimony in shaping perceptions of the eyewitness by jurors. It also seems to act as a filter through which jurors judge whether or not information should be included in the story they create or adopt to account for the facts of the case, especially if the eyewitness is discredited. Implications are discussed.

Download or read book Eyewitness Ultimate Opinion Expert Testmony and Jury Decision Making written by Brittany Givens and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research on juror decision making in eyewitness identification cases shows that jurors may benefit from expert education regarding eyewitness reliability (Wells, Lindsay, & Toursignant, 1980; Cutler, Dexter, & Penrod, 1989a; Cutler, Penrod, & Dexter, 1989b; English & Sales, 2005). However, little research has examined the effectiveness of expert opinion on the ultimate issue in eyewitness identification cases. Fairly recently, revisions were made to the New Jersey Supreme court judicial instructions to incorporate specific information regarding eyewitness identification factors. We examined the effectiveness of expert testimony, risk expert testimony, and ultimate opinion testimony combined with traditional judicial instructions and enhanced case specific judicial instructions, on sensitizing jurors to eyewitness witnessing conditions. Jurors read a written trial transcript of an attempted robbery case with either good or bad witnessing conditions. We hypothesized that jurors would be most effectively sensitized to good vs. bad witnessing conditions when exposed to case-specific judicial instructions combined with regular, risk, or ultimate opinion eyewitness expert testimony. Sensitization to witnessing conditions did not occur at any level of expert testimony, nor with the presence of case-specific judicial instruction. Witnessing conditions themselves however, were significantly associated with improved sensitization, and were reflected in mock juror verdicts.

Download or read book Pretrial Attitudes and Their Influence on Interpretation of Case Evidence and Mock Juror Decision Making in Insanity Defense Cases written by Justine M. L. Gonzales and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pretrial attitudes (attitudes held preceding any case-specific information) towards the insanity defense are known to influence jurors' decision-making about a case. However, the impact of pre-trial attitude on decisions across different types of evidence was an open question that the present study addressed. Through Amazon Mechanical Turk, participants indicated their pretrial support for the insanity defense. Participants served as mock jurors and rated the likelihood of giving the defendant not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) as well as perceived responsibility for the defendant's actions; they gave these ratings after introducing seven different pieces of evidence (baseline case vignette, mother hospitalized for schizophrenia, defendant abused as child, defendant testimony to delusions, psychological evaluation diagnosing defendant with schizophrenia, comorbid substance abuse, brain scans supporting schizophrenia diagnosis). Pretrial attitudes had a significant effect on mock jurors' ratings, with those in the low-support group being significantly less likely than the those with higher support to give the defendant NGRI. There was also a significant interaction between attitude groups and type of evidence. Both the effect of attitude group and the interaction between evidence type and attitude group were significant for responsibility ratings as well. The results of this study have important implications for insanity defense trials, and highlight the importance of how pretrial attitudes and different types of evidence, as well as how pretrial attitudes interact with types of evidence, influence the likelihood of a mock juror giving a defendant NGRI.

Download or read book Sad Eyewitnesses and Jurors Perceptions of Their Believability written by Cassie Ann E. Ridley and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eyewitness testimony is heavily relied on in court, and there is a large amount of research on how an eyewitness's and defendant's behavior and emotion can influence a jury’s verdict decision. The emotional victim effect occurs when a distressed victim is deemed as more believable, compared to victims that display a calm demeanor with a lack of emotional display. The current study tested three hypotheses. First, this work sought to establish the emotional eyewitness effect, with Hypothesis 1 predicting that an adult non-victim eyewitness would be deemed more believable than an adult eyewitness displaying a neutral emotional demeanor. Secondly, this work tested two possible mechanisms underlying this effect. Hypothesis 2a predicted that the juror’s empathy would lead the emotional eyewitness effect, and Hypothesis 2b predicted that the juror’s belief in the sad eyewitness would be driven by a misconception that emotional memories are more accurate than neutral memories. Participants watched either a sad or neutral eyewitness give a deposition regarding an attack she witnessed. Participants then rated how much they believed the eyewitness (on a scale of 1 to 5), completed a state empathy measure (Shen’s State Empathy Scale), and rated how accurate they felt her memory was. Results indicated that participants believed the eyewitness more when she appeared sad than when she appeared neutral, showing support for Hypothesis 1. Hypothesis 2a was also supported; the emotional eyewitness effect was driven by the participant’s state empathy. Hypothesis 2b was not supported; belief that emotional memories are more accurate than neutral ones was not driving the emotional eyewitness effect. However, the participant’s belief in the accuracy of the memory did play an independent role in predicting believability. The results of this research have important implications for lawyers, jurors, eyewitnesses, and the general public. Educating the general public of the potential effects of emotional biases on decision-making may help reduce their impact in a court room, but also in everyday life. Future research could examine how other emotions influence empathy and believability, and how this effect translates to a more realistic environment (e.g., a full mock trial or real trial video).