Alcohol in the courtroom: The intoxication defense

This experiment investigated the effect of the intoxication defense in the courtroom. A criminal trial (robbery or arson) was presented to 126 participants (62 men and 64 women). During the trial the defendant admitted to the crime, but argued that he was too intoxicated to be held accountable for his actions. The results indicated that the intoxication defense was ineffective: there were a disproportionate number of guilty verdicts, the correlation between defendant's responsibility and guilty verdict was positive, and the reasons given most often for these verdicts emphasized the personal responsibility of the defendant. These results are discussed in terms of current societal views of drinking (as a voluntary and dangerous act) guiding mock juror behavior.