The effects of gender and length of time between commission of crime and trial on juveniles' trial outcomes.

摘要

Similar to adults, juveniles' trials are often delayed for a variety of reasons; however, developmental changes associated with adolescence and early adulthood differentiate them from adults in many ways. This study investigated the ways in which the length of time from crime to trial may affect juveniles' trial outcomes. Further, it investigated the ways that extralegal factors, such as age and gender, change judges' perceptions of defendants' guilt and culpability. In particular, it examined the effect of these extralegal factors on judges' perceptions of the appropriate verdict and sentence length, as well as perceptions of defendants' levels of responsibility for the crime, likelihood of recidivism, and dangerousness. The study examined these questions using a hypothetical case vignette that varied a defendant's gender and age at the time of trial, while keeping the age at the time of the crime constant.; Participants included 295 juvenile and criminal court judges who, after reading the vignette, completed a short questionnaire asking them what they believed would be the appropriate verdict and sentence length, as well as their perceptions of the defendants' levels of responsibility, likelihood of recidivism, and dangerousness. Following the survey, participants were asked to complete a short demographics questionnaire.; Results revealed a main effect for defendant's age on judges' ratings of likelihood of recidivism and dangerousness. Specifically, judges rated younger defendants as more likely to recidivate and more dangerous than older juveniles. There was no main effect for defendant's gender and no interaction between gender and age were found. Explanations for and implications of these findings are discussed.