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  • Essay / The influence of the sex of the accused and the types of crimes...

    INTRODUCTIONThe influence of the sex of the accused and the types of crimes on the decisions of the jurors. Jury trials play a central role in the law, so it is crucial that the juror remains neutral in making a decision. However, several studies show that stereotyping is one of the most controversial issues related to jury decision-making (Bornstein and Greene, 2011). With reference to Bornstein and Greene (2011), the stereotype that women and men are generally characterized as specific criminals is likely to be true in the broadest sense. Thus, the importance of this study is to examine the effect of stereotypes related to defendants' gender and types of crimes on juror's decision. McCoy and Gray (2007) examined the impact of the defendant's gender and relationship to the victim on jurors' decisions in a child sexual abuse case. . They manipulated the defendant's gender (male or female) and relationship (relative or stranger) to the abused child and asked participants to play the role of mock jurors to assess the likelihood of guilt and their credibility in each case. case. The results of McCoy and Gray's (2007) study were that female defendants were less likely to be convicted than male defendants in a case of alleged sexual assault of a child. Regarding credibility, despite the presence of male jurors, female jurors found the victim more convincing than the accused. Related to this topic, stereotype theory has also been examined in the context of the race and type of crime of the accused. Gordon et al. (1988) compared the race of the defendant, whether black or white, and the type of crime (burglary or embezzlement) with participants' ratings of prison sentences. In support of the stereotype theory, the black burglar received longer prison sentences...... middle of paper ...... than the accused. To improve further research on this topic, it is highly recommended to simulate the real condition of the participants to achieve better results, as this will take into account the aspect of emotional pressure that leads to stereotyping in real situations. REFERENCES Bornstein, BH and E. Greene. "Jury decision making: implications for and psychology." ยป Current Directions in Psychological Science 20.1 (2011): 63-67. Print. Gordon, RA, Bindrim, TA, McNicholas, ML, & Walden, TL (1988). Perceptions of blue-collar and white-collar crime: The effect of defendant race on mock juror decisions. The Journal of Social Psychology, 128(2), 191-197McCoy, ML and JM Gray (2007). The impact of the defendant's gender and relationship to the victim on jurors' decisions in a child sexual abuse case. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 37(7), 1578 - 1593.