The influence of victim impact statements on sentencing in capital cases
The influence of victim impact statements on sentencing in capital cases
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DOI：
10.1300/j158v07n02_03
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发表时间：
2007-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Brodsky, Stanley L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Gordon, Trina M.;Brodsky, Stanley L.
受害者影响陈述是在死刑审判的量刑阶段引入的，允许受害者家属描述犯罪对他们生活造成的经济、情感、心理和身体影响。批评人士认为，这类证据是情绪化的、带有偏见的信息，会导致更严厉的判决。本研究探讨在减刑因素存在的情况下，被害人影响陈述对陪审员决策的影响。结果表明，在死刑诉讼中提供受害人影响陈述并不一定会对接受加重或减轻问题产生重大影响。在有受害者影响陈述的情况下，如智力迟钝、因精神疾病住院、精神分裂症或儿童时期遭受性虐待等减轻情节的情况下，参与者更有可能从轻量刑。
Victim Impact Statements are introduced during the sentencing phase of capital trials to allow family members of the victim to describe the financial, emotional, psychological, and physical affects the crime has had on their lives. Critics argue that this type of evidence is emotional and prejudicial information that leads to harsher sentences. The present study explored the influence of victim impact statements on juror decision-making in the presence of mitigation factors. The results showed that the presence of a victim impact statement in capital proceedings did not necessarily have a substantial affect on the acceptance of aggravation or mitigation issues. Participants were more likely to be lenient in sentencing in the presence of victim impact statements when there were mitigating circumstances such as mental retardation, hospitalization for a mental illness, schizophrenia, or sexual abuse as a child.