An Examination of Jury Verdicts for Evidence of a Similarity-Leniency Effect, An Out-Group Punitiveness Effect or a Black Sheep Effect

Archival data from cases adjudicated by jury in El Paso and Bexar County, Texas, were used to test whether a similarity-leniency effect, an out-group punitiveness effect, or a black sheep effect (BSE; J. M. Marques, V. Y. Yzerbyt, & J. P. Leyens, 1988 ) influenced jury decisions. Defendant ethni...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Law and human behavior 2004-10, Vol.28 (5), p.587-598
Main Authors: Taylor, Tanya S, Hosch, Harmon M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adjudication
Analysis of Variance
Brief Research Reports
Convictions
Court decisions
Crime - ethnology
Crime - psychology
Crimes against the person
Criminal sentencing
Decision Making
Defendants
Effects
Ethnicity
Hispanic Americans
Hispanics
Human
Humans
Ingroup Outgroup
Judicial Role
Juries
Jurors
Length of sentence
Minority & ethnic groups
Models, Theoretical
Prejudice
Punishment - psychology
Studies
Trials
United States
Verdicts
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Summary:Archival data from cases adjudicated by jury in El Paso and Bexar County, Texas, were used to test whether a similarity-leniency effect, an out-group punitiveness effect, or a black sheep effect (BSE; J. M. Marques, V. Y. Yzerbyt, & J. P. Leyens, 1988 ) influenced jury decisions. Defendant ethnicity, jury ethnic composition, and strength of evidence against the defendant were coded for 418 closed noncapital, felony cases to test their impact on trial verdicts and sentence lengths. Results indicated complex relations exist among juror and defendant characteristics and their influence on trial outcomes. No support was found for any of the theoretical models as predictors of jury decision-making. Strength of evidence was the most influential variable for both verdicts and length of sentences. Case strength, defendant ethnicity, and jury composition were related to sentence lengths.
ISSN:0147-7307
1573-661X
DOI:10.1023/B:LAHU.0000046436.36228.71