The Effect of Prejudice and Judicial Ambiguity on Defendant Guilt Ratings

Abstract

Two related issues concerning guilt determinations in a simulated rape trial were examined: (a) the effect of prejudicial perceptions of the defendant and victim and (b) the impact of judicial instructions. Two hundred fifty-five American students randomly assigned to 1 of 18 conditions were asked to assume the role of juror and to read an abbreviated transcript describing a rape trial. Both the victim and the defendant aggregate attribute ratings and the presence of judicial instructions were significant predictor variables of verdict. In contrast to previous investigations, victim race was not predictive of verdict under the trial condition without judicial instructions.