The Cloak of Innocence: Perception of Attire in the Courtroom

The present study investigated the impact of defendant attire (suit vs. prison garb) and participant gender on legal decision-making involving an assault case with a male defendant. Male and female community members (N = 60) read a summary of an assault trial. The trial either included a picture of the defendant wearing a dress suit or an orange prison jumpsuit. The results revealed a main effect for attire following a pattern of pro-victim judgments (e.g., guilty verdict, defendant aggression): prison garb > dress suit. Additionally, higher pro-defendant judgments resulted in fewer guilty verdicts. Indirect effects indicate the defendant in the prison jumpsuit was found to be more aggressive compared to the defendant in the dress suit resulting in more guilty verdicts. Lastly, there was no significant main effect of participant gender. These results confirm legal practitioners’ (lawyers and judges) opinions that defendant attire influences legal decision-making.