We conducted four experiments to investigate how laypeople determine guilt versus innocence when provided with eyewitness decision (identification versus rejection), initial confidence (low versus high), and face recognition ability (weak versus strong). Our first two experiments replicated prior research showing that participants value high over low confidence for identifications, but do not know how to interpret rejections. For identification decisions, we found face recognition ability played a greater role than confidence when deciding guilt. Our third and fourth experiments replicated these results and provided instructions from an eyewitness expert about what the research indicates about confidence and face recognition ability for both identifications and rejections. This information did not change guilt judgments in Experiment 3 but did in Experiment 4 when we adjusted our design and simplified presentation of the information. We conclude that laypeople may not intuitively understand eyewitness evidence that could be probative of suspect innocence, and therefore courts should allow an eyewitness expert to help them understand this information.
A study using the Observing Rapport-Based Interpersonal Techniques (ORBIT) coding framework analysed video-recorded investigative interviews with sexual offence victims of varying ages in South Korea. The dataset comprised 103 h of footage from 86 cases conducted by 26 police officers, with one officer interviewing one victim per case. The recordings were divided into 316 coding units using a 15-minute cut-off. ORBIT integrates principles from Motivational Interviewing (MI) and the Interpersonal Behaviour Circle (IBC). The study coded interviewers' use of MI strategies (acceptance, empathy, adaptation, evocation, and autonomy), adaptive and maladaptive interpersonal behaviour, victim engagement, and interview yield. Results indicated that the MI strategies were directly associated with increased adaptive interpersonal behaviour, enhanced victim engagement, and greater interview yield, alongside reduced maladaptive interpersonal behaviour. Mediation analyses showed that MI strategies exerted indirect effects on victim engagement via maladaptive interpersonal behaviour, and on interview yield via maladaptive interpersonal behaviour and victim engagement. Through adaptive interpersonal behaviour, the indirect effect of MI strategies on victim engagement was not significant. Finally, maladaptive interpersonal behaviour was indirectly associated with reduced interview yield through diminished victim engagement. These findings have implications for evidence-based training and assessment of victim-centred interviewing practices.
Detained juvenile delinquents frequently display both externalizing and internalizing problems, increasing their recidivism risk while undermining treatment motivation and well-being. The Good Lives Model (GLM) proposes rehabilitation that both lowers recidivism risk and enhances well-being, by promoting prosocial fulfillment of universal human needs ('primary goods'). The GLM assumes that attaining primary goods improves treatment motivation and promotes more sustainable desistance from offending. We examined the associations between changes in self-reported primary goods satisfaction, well-being, treatment motivation, externalizing and internalizing psychopathology, and recidivism risk in 62 Flemish and Dutch adolescent boys (ages 14-18) over time during detention. Findings partly support the GLM's assumptions: improvement in primary goods satisfaction was associated with improved well-being over time, and higher well-being was related to lower recidivism risk. Higher treatment motivation predicted reduced recidivism risk. However, path analyses did not support the GLM's assumptions: neither changes in primary goods satisfaction nor changes in well-being predicted treatment motivation or recidivism risk reduction. No effects of internalizing or externalizing psychopathology were found. While treatment motivation appears crucial for lowering recidivism risk, in our study it was not predicted by changes in primary goods satisfaction or well-being. More research is needed to understand the factors affecting treatment motivation.
Objectives: We investigated how the psychosocial components of criminality stigma can influence the reactions to the pain of individuals framed as violent criminals. Methods: Undergraduate students (N = 487) were randomly divided into three groups. Groups viewed models and read scenarios describing either models' criminal behaviour, neutral behaviour or just saw models' initials. Participants rated models on various components of stigma (valence, trust, threat, social status). Their reactions to the pain expressed by these models were measured (willingness to help, perception of pain signals, recommended medication). Results: Participants in the criminal condition perceived models as having a lower social status, which was associated with evaluations of models being lower in trustworthiness, lower in valence, and higher in threateningness. Participants were also less willing to help alleviate models' pain, despite accurately estimating it. Crucially, the relationship between violent crime exposure and willingness to help was mediated by the link between lower social status and decreased likability. Conclusion: These findings reveal psychosocial mechanisms that may contribute to healthcare inequities experienced by individuals with a history of criminality. Future research could explore these results in more ecologically valid settings.
This study assessed the concurrent and predictive validity of clinician judgements made using the Risk for Sexual Violence Protocol (RSVP) in routine practice, and examined how they used the guideline. Risk assessments were accessed from the files of 100 men referred to an Australian community forensic mental health service due to sexual violence. Predictive validity was examined at four time points based on police charges, though only 5 men reoffended during the follow-up period. RSVP Case Prioritization judgements were strongly correlated with the Static-99 and had excellent predictive validity at all follow-up times. Those judged High priority reoffended significantly more often than cases judged Moderate or Low priority. Generally, clinician judgements had better sensitivity than specificity, though the low number and rate of recidivism mean these findings must be interpreted cautiously and require replication. In practice clinicians rarely completed the Future Relevance ratings, Psychopathy risk factor, or the Serious Physical Harm and Immediate Action Required Summary Judgements. Aspects of the practice setting in which the RSVP was used may have helped to maintain predictive validity despite clinicians' departure from its instructions.
Deception can produce cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1962). We explored whether it was possible to leverage classic research on attributions of arousal to improve deception detection. In Study 1, targets voluntarily lied or told the truth about a transgression under one of three conditions: the room's lighting reportedly induced arousal (arousal attribution), induced relaxation (relaxation attribution), or was not mentioned (control). Study 2 featured similar attribution conditions; however, targets were explicitly instructed to lie or tell the truth about a witnessed event (i.e. behavioral choice was eliminated). As predicted, observers' deception detection improved in the arousal and relaxation attribution conditions (vs. control) only when targets' behaviors were volitional. This work provides preliminary evidence that misattributions of arousal might affect deception under high-choice conditions. In turn, attribution manipulation is a promising theory-based approach to improving deception detection that merits further investigation.
Although labeling theory has regained prominence in recent years, empirical research on the role of informal labeling in adolescent deviance remains limited, particularly regarding the psychological mechanisms linking social reactions to behavioral outcomes. This study investigates the mediating role of deviant self-identity in the relationship between informal labeling by others and adolescent deviant behavior. Using three waves of longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of South Korean adolescents, generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM) and multilevel modeling were conducted. Findings indicate that informal labeling significantly predicts the formation of deviant self-identity, which, in turn, increases the likelihood of engaging in deviant behavior for adolescents. Furthermore, it was found that deviant self-identity significantly mediates the effect of informal labeling on adolescent deviance. The results highlight the importance of identity-based interventions to foster positive self-concept and mitigate the adverse effects of stigmatizing social responses.
This study examined the beliefs and practices of police investigators regarding interviewing and interrogation processes across six European countries. To assess investigators' perspectives, we administered a survey adapted from Kassin et al. (2007). Police interviewing and interrogation: A self-report survey of police practices and beliefs. Law and Human Behavior, 31(4), 381-400 addressing (1) recording practices, (2) length and frequency of suspect interviews, (3) suspects' use of their right to silence, (4) prevalence of true and false confessions, (5) confidence in detecting deception, and (6) interviewing and interrogation techniques. Results revealed substantial cross-national differences. Dutch officers conducted the longest interviews, while Norwegian officers were the most likely to record interviews. The use of suspects' rights varied significantly, with Spanish officers reporting the highest invocation of the right to silence. False confessions were recognized across all subsamples, though voluntary false confessions were most frequently reported. Except in Norway, investigators significantly overestimated their deception detection accuracy. Overall, coercive tactics were infrequent, and most officers endorsed ethical, rapport-based strategies, aligning with the information-gathering approach. Despite cross-country variations, these findings suggest a broad adherence to non-coercive interviewing methods across Europe.
Confession contamination, in which confidential case information is shared with a suspect during an interrogation, provides misleading credibility to confessions. We hypothesized that indications of confession contamination provided through questions from an interrogation and expert information on contamination would significantly lower mock jurors' judgments about guilt (in a verdict determination and a likelihood of guilt rating) and their rating of the strength of a confession as evidence in a case vignette. In a 2 (interrogation questions vs. no interrogation questions) x 2 (expert video vs. no expert video) design, 181 jury-eligible adults read case materials that included a false confession. Expert testimony and questions that involved contamination resulted in significantly lower likelihood of guilt ratings, and participants exposed to the interrogation questions rated the confession as significantly less accurate and persuasive than participants who were not provided evidence of contamination. However, we did not find the expected additive effects of questions showing confession contamination and expert information. Additionally, participants' responses to an initial Confession Attitude Questionnaire (CAQ) suggested better knowledge about some aspects of confession than has been reported in previous studies. Our findings support recent recommendations about interrogations and confessions.
Despite the growing awareness of inaccuracies in eyewitness memory recall, their involvement in wrongful convictions urges the need for further research to reduce eyewitness error. Media is a form of post-event information (PEI) that can distort a witness' memory prior to providing recall. The present study investigates whether PEI presented through different online media platforms (traditional vs social media) and with varying credibility (high vs low) influences eyewitness recall. One-hundred and ninety-two participants watched a staged crime video before receiving one of four news articles that included correct PEI and misinformation but differed in what media platform they were presented on and whether the news outlet was high or low in credibility. Participants then completed a free and cued recall task. Participants who viewed traditional media (news website) were more accurate in their statements and accepted less misinformation in free recall, when compared to the social media condition (Facebook). During cued recall, participants in the high credibility condition (ABC News) accepted more misinformation than those in the low credibility condition (Daily Mail). These findings extend on misinformation literature and suggest future directions to explore media and memory in a society heavily influenced by news and media platforms.
This study provides one of the first examinations of Japanese public attitudes toward individuals with sexual offense histories using the Attitudes to Sexual Offenders Scale-21 (ATS-21). Although originally developed in Western contexts, its applicability in Japan has not been tested. A web-based survey of 431 Japanese adults was conducted, and psychometric analyses were performed to explore the cultural suitability of the instrument. The confirmatory factor analysis did not support the original three-factor model, prompting an exploratory factor analysis that yielded a revised 13-item structure consisting of three factors: Distrust, Evil, and Like Us. These factors partly overlapped with the affective and cognitive components of attitudes but diverged from the behavioral dimension proposed in the original ATS-21 framework. Several items were removed due to cultural mismatch, limited familiarity with concepts such as parole, and difficulties imagining interpersonal proximity to sexual offenders. The findings highlight distinctive cultural patterns in how Japanese respondents integrate emotional and cognitive judgments, suggesting that cultural norms surrounding social harmony and limited public exposure to offender treatment influence item interpretation. This preliminary study underscores the need for culturally grounded instrument refinement and provides an empirical basis for future research and policy development in Japan.
The operation of a fair criminal justice system hinges upon its criminal justice professionals (CJPs) making decisions based on considerations of legal but not extra-legal factors. Studies have shown that offenders' gender, an extra-legal factor, may impact criminal justice decisions. Both the paternalism/chivalry and evil women hypotheses are proposed and tested accordingly. In comparison, fewer studies explored the impact of CJPs' gender on their decision-making. Based on survey data of 516 CJPs from one Chinese city, this study explores potential impact of both CJPs' and offenders' gender on CJPs' preferred punishment in five hypothetical capital cases. The results suggest that female offenders are more likely to receive more lenient dispositions for homicide and sexual assault of minors (supporting the paternalism/chivalry hypothesis), but harsher punishment for drug trafficking (supporting the evil women hypothesis). In contrast, no significant impact of CJPs' gender was found in multivariate analyses, albeit bivariate results indicated some leniency from female CJPs. This study suggests that offenders' gender may still exert influence, with the magnitude and direction of the effect varying by specific crime type and crime circumstances, while the effect of CJPs' gender is largely negated by organizational arrangements and constraints in the unique context of China.
Structured risk assessments are central in forensic mental healthcare, yet the added value of self-report remains uncertain. This study tested whether self-reported psychological complaints (FSI-R) improve the prediction of general recidivism beyond clinician-rated risk factors (FORE) in Dutch forensic outpatients. We analyzed 1,395 adults enrolled between 2017 and 2020 and followed for an average of 44.7 months. A five-block Cox regression entered demographics, index offense and treatment status, FORE static factors, FORE dynamic factors, and finally FSI-R subscales. Model fit improved through the clinician-rated blocks but did not improve when FSI-R domains were added (AIC increased from 6626.19 to 6633.38); no self-report domain predicted recidivism (all p > .10). In contrast, several clinician-rated scales remained robust predictors (e.g. prior convictions; delinquent network; rule-breaking). ROC analyses showed acceptable discrimination for FORE static (AUC = .761) and a small, statistically significant but practically modest gain for the combined model over FORE S+D (AUC = .764 vs .753). The FSI-R alone performed at chance level (AUC = .501). Baseline self-reports may reflect limited problem awareness early in care; clinician ratings currently provide ae stronger basis for risk prediction.
The use of conditional release, such as parole, is a controversial topic influenced by public perceptions. However, statistics regarding support for parole among the Canadian public are out of date and research identifying factors influencing support for parole in Canada is lacking. The current study examined factors affecting support for parole using a large sample of adults living in Canada (N = 2,550). Overall, participants reported a relatively neutral stance on the use of parole, neither strongly supporting nor rejecting its use. Regression analyses revealed that support for parole was higher among men, university graduates, regular religious attendees, those having contact with someone previously incarcerated, believers in redeemability, and those with positive attitudes toward incarcerated individuals. Conversely, punitiveness and dispositional attributions of crime predicted lower support for parole. A relative importance analysis revealed that the top three factors for understanding parole attitudes (in order of importance) were attitudes towards punitiveness, belief in redeemability, and specific attributions for crime. Results of the current study may be important to the development of anti-stigma intervention programmes and public education campaigns promoting support for criminal justice reforms.
The present study analyzed legal decision-making in a human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) civil trial. Male and female community members read a trial summary in which a female plaintiff (either sober or intoxicated at the time of sexual intercourse) alleged that a male defendant failed to disclose his HIV status prior to having sex. Participants provided judgements about the case (e.g. case decision, plaintiff and defendant credibility). The primary results indicated that: (a) participants provided more plaintiff case decisions overall, (b) participants decided in favor of a plaintiff more when she was sober during sexual intercourse compared to when she was intoxicated, given that the former plaintiff had taken more responsibility for her behavior (LaFree, 1989. Rape and criminal justice. Wadsworth), (c) pro-defendant/pro-plaintiff ratings indirectly influenced the relationship between intoxication condition and case decision (e.g. a sober plaintiff led to higher pro-plaintiff ratings and more plaintiff decisions), and (d) participants' reasons for their plaintiff decisions included a belief that the defendant had a responsibility to communicate his HIV status, and reasons for decisions in favor of the defendant focused on the belief that the plaintiff had a responsibility to protect herself from STD exposure.
Non-consensual condom removal (NCCR) is a form of sexual violence involving the removal of a condom before or during sexual intercourse without a partner's knowledge or consent. There is evidence linking the perpetration of non-consensual condom removal to personality characteristics associated with condom use resistance (CUR) tactics and broader categories of sexual violence. The current study aimed to expand on this research by examining NCCR in relation to early maladaptive schemas (EMS) and Schema Theory in an Australian sample. A national cross-sectional survey of people with a penis (N = 106) measured NCCR through modifiable behavioural precursors: sexual arousal and intent to engage in the act. The results identified significant positive associations between certain EMS, CUR, and NCCR arousal but not NCCR intent. Logistic regression analyses indicated that stronger entitlement-related beliefs (e.g. expecting to get one's own way) and other-directed punitiveness (e.g. believing others should be punished for mistakes) were associated with higher odds of NCCR arousal; entitlement-related beliefs were also associated with higher odds of NCCR intent. These findings contribute to understanding the relationship between patterns of dysfunctional cognitions and the perpetration of sexual violence. Intervention efforts may benefit from targeting dysfunctional entitlement and punitive beliefs alongside condom negotiation.
Research has identified associations among childhood maltreatment, antisocial traits, and sexual offending. However, limited attention has been given to how they relate. This study investigated the relationship between childhood maltreatment, antisocial traits, and sexual offending, with a focus on whether antisocial-lifestyle traits mediate this relationship. Investigating this topic is important to better understand the developmental pathways underlying sexual violence and to inform tailored prevention and treatment strategies. A total of 209 male forensic patients in the Netherlands participated, including individuals convicted of child sexual abuse, sexual violence against adults, and non-sexual violent offenses. Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and were assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). Kruskal-Wallis tests showed that adult sex offenders scored significantly higher on interpersonal-affective traits than non-sexual offenders (p < .01), but did not differ from child sex offenders. No group differences emerged for antisocial-lifestyle traits or childhood maltreatment scores. Mediation analyses indicated that childhood maltreatment did not predict antisocial-lifestyle traits (p = .348), and these traits did not predict sexual offending (adult victims: p = .466; child victims: p = .093). Indirect effects were non-significant. Collectively, these results indicate that antisocial-lifestyle traits do not serve as a mediating factor in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and sexual violence in this sample.
Considering that the moral emotions of guilt and shame play both a preventive role in helping people avoid breaking moral norms, as well as a restorative role after transgressing them, in this study we examine a sample of incarcerated women (N = 115) and men (N = 235) regarding very relevant variables for their reintegration into society, that is, (1) personal responsibility for their crimes, (2) the associated emotional reactions of shame and guilt, and (3) their future intention to change. Our results showed that women scored higher than men in responsibility, guilt, and intention to change, but not in shame, as it also was expected. Despite these differences, in both samples guilt fully mediated the assumed and desired relationship between personal responsibility for the committed crimes and the intention to change, whereas shame did not. A common mechanism for both genders showed the positive role of guilt in promoting behavioral change in individuals confronting with their past criminal actions.
This study investigates the effects of pretrial publicity (PTP), victim-defendant racial composition (same race or interracial), and juror race on jurors' decisions, and how this differs based on in and outgroup dynamics. Mock-jurors (Black/Hispanic/White; N = 1,123) were exposed to different PTP slants (negative-defendant, negative-victim, no-PTP) and victims who varied in race (Black/Hispanic/White) in the context of an intimate partner homicide trial with a White defendant. Findings highlight the clear biasing effect of PTP. When PTP was present, verdicts aligned with the slant of information presented. Only in the no-PTP condition did victim race affect verdicts and defendant credibility. No-PTP jurors were more likely to find the defendant guilty and less credible when the victim was Black versus Hispanic or White. There was a juror x victim race interaction - Black jurors were most punitive when the victim was Black and White jurors were least punitive when the victim was White. Hispanic jurors were unaffected by victim race. The results underscore the need for legal-system safeguards to mitigate the influence of PTP and suggest that racial dynamics may be especially impactful when case-specific information is limited. This research contributes to understanding how media and racial context interact to bias legal decision-making.
Secondary victimisation occurs when a victim of crime feels they have been subjected to inadequate, insensitive, or inappropriate treatment, attitudes, behaviour, responses and practices by criminal justice and social agencies, which compound their original trauma. This study explored police officers' perceptions of how victims of rape and serious sex offences may be subjected to secondary victimisation by the police. A total of 50 semi-structured interviews were conducted with police officers across four forces in England and Wales. The interview data were qualitatively analysed using reflective thematic analysis. Three main themes were identified relating to how victims may feel re-victimised by their experiences with the police: (1) during the initial reporting phase; (2) if/when they are subjected to distressing evidence gathering; and (3) when investigations are victim, rather than suspect, focused. However, there was awareness among officers of the need for change and of new legislation and guidance aimed at reducing secondary victimisation. The different facets of secondary victimisation are discussed here, and an updated definition is proposed, which more clearly outlines the different ways in which secondary victimisation should or can be mitigated.
