Title

Assessing juror understanding of capital-sentencing instructions

Authors

Authors

J. Frank;B. K. Applegate

Comments

Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

Abbreviated Journal Title

Crime Delinq.

Keywords

COMPREHENSION; PUNISHMENT; JURIES; JUDGES; Criminology & Penology

Abstract

Although recent research has suggested that juror understanding of sentencing instructions in capital cases is limited, jurors in most states retain responsibility for determining whether a defendant receives the death penalty. Using data collected from 258 individuals who were called for jury duty in a midwestern city, the present study demonstrates that (1) jurors' comprehension of sentencing instructions is limited, (2) the particular areas of misunderstanding tend to place the defendant at a disadvantage, (3) juror understanding can be improved by rewriting state death penalty pattern instructions, and (4) comprehension levels also may be increased by providing jurors with a written copy of the instructions. Unfortunately, the effects that this research may have on legal policy are unclear.

Journal Title

Crime & Delinquency

Volume

44

Issue/Number

3

Publication Date

1-1-1998

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

412

Last Page

433

WOS Identifier

WOS:000074238200005

ISSN

0011-1287

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