Severity of crime increases jury's belief in guilt

(Duke University) A laboratory experiment with 600 mock jurors has found the more severe an alleged crime, the higher a juror's confidence in guilt becomes, regardless of the evidence. 'If the crime is more serious or more heinous, [mock jurors] are more likely to be convinced by the same amount of evidence,' said lead study author John Pearson of Duke University.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2yDTU0z