Do Mock Jurors’ Attitudes Relate to Jurors’ Verdicts of Police Use of Excessive Force According to 18 U.S.C. § 242?
Presentation Type
Presentation
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Melissa Baker, Psychology
Major
Psychology
Presentation Abstract
There is limited research regarding jurors’ attitudes toward police and how jurors’ attitudes toward police might affect their perceptions of guilt for a police officer who faces criminal charges known as "deprivation of rights under the color of law." The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between mock jurors’ attitudes toward police and their judgments of a police officer’s use of excessive force according to 18 U.S.C. § 242. To find a defendant guilty of § 242, a jury must find the defendant violated four specific criteria. In the study, participants (N=60, 31.9% male, 68.1% female, Mage = 20.12) answered questions designed to measure their attitudes toward police. Next, participants were informed to imagine they were serving on a jury for a criminal case describing a police officer charged of using excessive force against a civilian. As part of the vignette, participants watched a confrontation video depicting the charged officer and the civilian and were asked questions regarding their perceptions of the officer’s use of excessive force. Results revealed that mock jurors’ attitudes toward police were related to only two of the four criteria according to § 242. These findings have important applied implications for how jurors might use their attitudes toward police when making verdicts of police misconduct.
Start Date
12-4-2023 2:20 PM
End Date
12-4-2023 2:40 PM
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Pruett, Noah, "Do Mock Jurors’ Attitudes Relate to Jurors’ Verdicts of Police Use of Excessive Force According to 18 U.S.C. § 242?" (2023). Undergraduate Research Competition. 53.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2023/fullconference/53
Do Mock Jurors’ Attitudes Relate to Jurors’ Verdicts of Police Use of Excessive Force According to 18 U.S.C. § 242?
There is limited research regarding jurors’ attitudes toward police and how jurors’ attitudes toward police might affect their perceptions of guilt for a police officer who faces criminal charges known as "deprivation of rights under the color of law." The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between mock jurors’ attitudes toward police and their judgments of a police officer’s use of excessive force according to 18 U.S.C. § 242. To find a defendant guilty of § 242, a jury must find the defendant violated four specific criteria. In the study, participants (N=60, 31.9% male, 68.1% female, Mage = 20.12) answered questions designed to measure their attitudes toward police. Next, participants were informed to imagine they were serving on a jury for a criminal case describing a police officer charged of using excessive force against a civilian. As part of the vignette, participants watched a confrontation video depicting the charged officer and the civilian and were asked questions regarding their perceptions of the officer’s use of excessive force. Results revealed that mock jurors’ attitudes toward police were related to only two of the four criteria according to § 242. These findings have important applied implications for how jurors might use their attitudes toward police when making verdicts of police misconduct.