Objective Appearance Factors
What is the name of Eberhardt’s 2006 study and what did it investigate?
Looking Deathworthy
What do Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart, and O.J. Simpson share?
Expensive jury consultants
Refers to the belief in false stereotypes and assumptions about sexual violence. This impacts jury decisions by leading jurors to question the credibility of victims, dismiss their experiences, and favour the defendant's narrative.
Rape Myth Acceptance
What percentage of guilty verdicts result from positive, negative, and no pretrial publicity according to Ruva and McEvoy (2008)?
26% of positive pretrial publicity, 70% of negative publicity, and 38% with no publicity.
What was the primary reason Dennis Oland requested a judge-alone trial for his second trial in 2018?
Pretrial publicity that impeded his right to a fair trial
What demographic variable is studied most in Eberhardt’s 2006 report?
Race
What special privileges were given to Charles Barkley and why?
The case deliberation schedule fits around the famous basketball player's games.
What are the requirements listed below for?
1. Canadian Citizenship
2. Residency in Canada
3. 18+ years old
4. Summons Compliance
Jury duty
What is a consistent findings about pretrial publicity in research?
Negative pretrial publicity is more common
How many media reports and social media postings were cited by Oland's lawyers to demonstrate the extent of pretrial publicity?
Thousands
What were the outcomes of Eberhardt’s 2006 report?
Black defendants who are perceived as more stereotypically Black are more likely to receive a death sentence
What forensic psychologist said, “Attractive defendants are, it seems, rated less harshly than ‘homely’ defendants, so perhaps justice isn’t blind after all”?
Dr. Sandie Taylor
What are some limitations that may prevent one from serving jury duty in Nova Scotia and why are these reasons relevant?
Legal Education: their legal knowledge may give them an unfair advantage.
Employment in the Justice Field: maintaining impartiality and avoiding conflicts of interest.
Political Office: to ensure that political influences do not affect jury decisions.
Criminal Convictions: to uphold the integrity of the jury.
Military Service: because biases that may arise from their military affiliations
What are the three effects of pretrial publicity on jury decision-making?
The serial position effect, the story model, and emotional salience.
What percentage of respondents in a public opinion poll believed Dennis Oland was guilty before his trial?
27%
If the defendant is a woman…
Jurors are less punitive
How would one describe the difference between an individual and group verdict?
An individual verdict refers to the decision made by a single juror or decision-maker regarding a case. Whereas, a group verdict is a collective decision reached by a jury or a group of decision-makers, typically a consensus
What is a group of jurors who are unbiased and fair called?
An impartial jury
In Canada, how are jury methods studied to ensure accurate verdicts?
Archival studies using historical data, field studies in natural environments, and simulation studies manipulating experimental variables.
What significant action did the judge take during the jury selection process due to improper conduct by a police officer?
Declared a mistrial
In what cases are female jurors less punitive to defendants?
Sexual Assault cases
In the 2008 Beauty and the Juror report done by Marc Patry, rank categories of guilty verdict percentage from least to greatest.
4% of guilty group verdicts for plain people
27% of the guilty group verdicts for attractive people
52% of the guilty individual verdicts for attractive people
77% of guilty individual verdicts for plain people
Which main factors pose threats to impartiality in a trial and how can they be solved?
familiarity with the defendant and pretrial publicity
A psychological effect suggests that jurors’ initial impressions are disproportionately influenced by the order of information presented, causing greater reliance on early information over later evidence.
The serial position effect
What specific type of publicity impacted the trial?
Negative pre-trial publicity