NCJ Number
68340
Date Published
1979
Length
255 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT EVALUATES EFFECTS OF VIDEOTAPED TESTIMONY ON JUROR INFORMATION PROCESSING AND DECISIONMAKING ACTIVITIES IN JURY TRIALS SO THAT STANDARDS FOR THE USE OF VIDEOTAPING IN COURTS CAN BE SET.
Abstract
RESEARCHERS STUDIED JURORS WHO VIEWED LIVE TRIALS, COLOR VIDEO TAPED TRIALS, BLACK-AND-WHITE VIDEO TAPED TRIALS, AND SEGMENTS OF VIDEO TAPED TESTIMONY INTRODUCED INTO AN OTHERWISE LIVE TRIAL. THE EXAMINED JUROR RESPONSE VARIABLES INCLUDE VERDICT, AMOUNT OF AWARD TO PLAINTIFF, RETENTION OF TRIAL-RELATED INFORMATION, PERCEIVED ATTORNEY CREDIBILITY, PERCEIVED WITNESS CREDIBILITY, JUROR EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT WITNESS TYPES, AND JUROR VERACITY JUDGMENTS OF TESTIMONY PRESENTED. FROM THE NUMEROUS FINDINGS, THE RESEARCHERS DREW SEVERAL CONCLUSIONS. FIRST, THE USE OF VIDEO TAPE DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT JURORS' VERDICTS OR THE MONETARY AWARDS TO PLAINTIFFS MADE BY JURORS, BUT IT DOES AFFECT THE AMOUNT OF TRIAL-RELATED INFORMATION RETAINED BY JURORS DURING A TRIAL. JUROR PERCEPTIONS OF ATTORNEY CREDIBILITY CAN BE SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCED BY EDITING AND PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES THAT ARE PART OF AVAILABLE VIDEO TECHNOLOGY, WHILE JUROR PERCEPTIONS OF WITNESS CREDIBILITY ARE AFFECTED BY VIDEO TAPE USED IN THE COURTROOM. VIDEO TAPED PRESENTATIONS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF WITNESSES (E.G., STRONG AND WEAK) AFFECT JUROR EVALUATIONS OF WITNESS CREDIBILITY. VIDEO TAPE USED TO PRESENT TESTIMONY DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT JUROR JUDGMENTS OF THE VERACITY OF THE TESTIMONY PRESENTED. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WITNESS SEEM TO EXERT MORE IMPACT ON JUROR RESPONSE THAN DO VIDEO TAPE PRODUCTION DECISIONS. FOR INSTANCE, JURORS RETAIN MORE CENTRAL ARGUMENTS AND FACTS WHEN EXPOSED TO BLACK-AND-WHITE TAPED TESTIMONY AS OPPOSED TO COLOR, AND MORE RAPID LOSS OCCURS AFTER THE LIVE PRESENTATION. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON JUROR RESPONSE CAUSED BY EITHER THE INCLUSION OR DELETION OF INADMISSIBLE MATERIALS. THE REPORT RECOMMENDS RULES FOR UNIFORM COURTROOM USE OF VIDEO TAPE, SUCH AS A STIPULATION FOR FIXED CAMERAS. TABLES, FOOTNOTES, AND 163 REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED.