Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology
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Browsing Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology by Subject "Law"
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Item Jurors Perception of Guilt, and Evidence Based on Gender(2017-05) Hovsepian, Aaron CodyThe present study was conducted to understand if there were gender differences among juries. A total of 122 self-reported vignette style surveys were distributed to a sample of convenience at a private Christian university. The study contained two separate conditions (rape and murder) in which participants were asked a series of questions pertaining to their condition. The use of DNA evidence was also looked at for any influential impact on participants’ decision making. A 2x2 MANVOA and a Factorial ANOVA were used to analyze the data. The 2x2 MANOVA was used to test whether the two separate crime conditions had an impact on perception of guilt. The Factorial ANOVA was used to test if DNA evidence had an impact on jurors’ perception of guilt as well. The results indicated that when it came to the type of crime, the participants in the murder condition gave the defendant a much harsher punishment than those in the rape condition. Results also revealed that DNA evidence had a higher rate of influencing the female participants. Unfortunately, limited to no support was found for gender being a determining factor for jury’s perception of guilt.Item A Review of California Legislation and Its Effect on the Disparate Impact in Male Prisons(2018-05) Freatman, ValerieThe United States of America has been known as a melting pot-where equality is hailed among the most sacred of doctrines and is written into the foundational documents of the society. When examining California’s prison system, however, there appears to be large racial disparities and widespread discrimination within the judicial system and a disparate impact on minorities. California’s legislation has consistently and disparately imprisoned minorities for charges while white populations only receive a warning for the same crime. This study reviewed the past 30 years of California legislation regarding substance abuse and highlighted the disparities in the prison system, as well as the effect of imprisonment on inmates over time. This examination revealed California’s legislation has negatively impacted minorities through disproportionate imprisonment, which lead to further social ostracism and the development of mental disorders.Item The Severity of Mental Health Effects on Capital Trial Jurors(2017-05) Hawkins Maras, Robin A.Death qualified jurors, selected to serve on capital trials, hold an unparalleled role in the criminal justice system. Despite data suggesting that serving as a death qualified juror may be extremely stressful, studies exploring the severity of the mental health effects of capital jury duty are limited. This study, utilizing a qualitative content analysis, addresses the question of whether the severity of capital jurors’ mental health symptoms rises to clinically significant levels and thus, warrants intervening action by the criminal justice system. Through the analysis of six prior studies, this research examined the mental health effects triggered by excessive stress in capital jurors and identified twelve predominant themes. The prior studies determined that the clinical significance of major depression in capital jurors ranges from 0 to 19%, and the clinical significance of posttraumatic stress disorder ranges from 0 to 26%. Thus, while prior research confirms that capital jurors may experience negative mental health effects, the severity of the effects, as well as the length of time the effects impact each juror, varies to the extent that a definitive conclusion regarding the need for intervening action by the criminal justice system cannot be determined.