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Beliefs of Guilt and Recommended Sentence as a Function of Juror Bias in the O. J. Simpson Trial
Author(s) -
Chapdelaine Andrea,
Griffin Sean F.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1997.tb02123.x
Subject(s) - innocence , psychology , sentence , scale (ratio) , social psychology , clinical psychology , psychoanalysis , linguistics , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics
During the week of April 9, 1995, 125 male participants completed a questionnaire assessing attitudes toward the O. J. Simpson trial. Specifically, participants reported their belief in the defendant's guilt or innocence, stated how fair they perceived the trial to be, and recommended a sentence should the defendant be found guilty of the crime. Additionally, participants completed Kassin and Wrightsman's Juror Bias Scale and the revised California F scale. Overall, results showed that participants' scores on both scales were positively correlated with their beliefs in the defendant's guilt, perceived trial fairness, and more severe sentence recommendations.