NCJ Number
231694
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 37 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2010 Pages: 951-964
Date Published
September 2010
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study investigated several factors that influence juror decisions in historic child sexual abuse (HCSA) cases involving continuous memories.
Abstract
The study investigated how jurors perceived historic child sexual abuse (HCSA) cases involving continuous rather than repressed memories of the abuse. Mock jurors (N = 295) read a simulated trial transcript involving a case of HCSA that varied the length of delay between the end of the alleged abuse and time of reporting (2 vs. 15 vs. 30 years), relationship to the alleged victim (uncle vs. former coach), and abuse frequency (1 vs. 12 times). The effects of these variables on mock jurors' decisions were investigated. The shorter delay led to significantly higher guilt ratings and lengthier sentence recommendations compared with longer delays. Mock jurors assigned higher guilt ratings when the defendant was the uncle rather than the coach but only when the abuse was perpetrated once rather than 12 times. Mock jurors were more confident in their verdict decisions when the defendant was the uncle rather than the coach and when the abuse occurred 12 times rather than once. Tables, notes, and references (Published Abstract)