Mock Juror Perceptions of a Male or Female Adult Rape Victim Crying in the Courtroom

Andrea M. Pals, Mary M. Levi, Johnathan R. Meier, Baylee D. Jenkins, Alexis M. Le Grand, Jonathan M. Golding

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of victim crying and gender on perceptions of rape cases. Participants (N = 240, 51.5% male, 48.1% female) completed a 2 (victim crying) × 2 (victim gender) × 2 (participant gender) between-participants design with case judgments (e.g., verdict) as the DVs. Results found that a rape victim crying during testimony increased pro-victim judgments compared to when the victim did not cry, that female mock jurors were more pro-victim than males, but that victim gender was insignificant. Finally, the mediation model found that victim crying increased their credibility, increasing the likelihood of a guilty verdict.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1107-1132
Number of pages26
JournalViolence Against Women
Volume30
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.

Keywords

  • demeanor
  • jury decision-making
  • rape
  • victim gender

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Gender Studies
  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Law

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