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Description: Using a mixed-methods model, we analyze former capital jurors' impressions of defense and prosecuting attorneys' personal characteristics and the impact these perceptions have on sentencing outcomes. Data derived from the Capital Jury Project. We used thematic content analysis to describe the jurors' impressions of the attorneys and identify differences in their impressions of the prosecuting and defense attorneys. We used chi-square tests to determine whether jurors' impressions were related to sentencing outcomes. Findings show that the jurors' impressions focused on the attorneys' physical appearance and personalities. Impressions of the defense attorneys were markedly more negative than their impressions of the prosecutors. Impressions of the defense attorneys, but not the prosecutors, were significantly related to sentencing outcomes such that negative impressions of the defense attorneys were associated with death sentences. The results of the thematic content analysis suggest that jurors' impressions of the attorneys' personal characteristics were a function of bias. The chi-square tests further suggest that these biased impressions influence sentencing verdicts. As such, the defendants tried by the jurors in this sample failed to realize their Sixth Amendment right to an impartial jury. Implications for how to reaffirm capital defendants' due process rights are discussed.
Suggested Citation:
Trahan, A., & Stewart, D.M. (2011). Examining capital jurors' impressions of attorneys' personal characteristics and their impact on sentencing outcomes [Electronic Version]. Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice,
7(2), 93-105.
Keywords: capital jurors; sentencing; death penalty; attorney characteristics
Date: Dec 16, 2011 | File Size: 417.14 Kb | Downloads: 2040