Graduate Program

Clinical Psychology

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

2003

Thesis Director

Anu Sharma

Abstract

The present study examined whether the accounts that defendants give (i.e., apology, excuse, or justification) would have an effect on the perceived seriousness of the crime and assigned penalty. The study focused specifically on burglary, a non-violent crime. It also examined how participant characteristics, such as age, gender, political ideology, and history of victimization, affected the perceived seriousness and assigned penalty. This is a growing area of interest, given the societal impact of crime. There is significant disparity in sentencing that exists for perpetrators who are convicted of similar crimes. It is important to examine the possible explanations for this disparity. Twenty-one male and 107 female university students were recruited from psychology courses. Each participant received a packet containing one of four different vignettes and questions assessing perceived seriousness of the offense, non-jail time and jail time penalty, the perceived intent of the defendant, the participant's and/or the participant's family history of victimization and a demographic information questionnaire. Results indicated that there was not a significant relationship between the accounts given and the perceived seriousness/imposed penalty. However, results did indicate that when compared with the control group, apologies tended to lessen the amount non-jail time penalties chosen by participants. Furthermore, when compared to the justification group, apologies also lessened the length of jail time chosen by the participants. Additionally, it was found that there was a significant relationship between the participants' history of personal and/or family victimization and the number of non-jail time penalties assigned (i.e., reprimand, payment of fee, probation, community service). Results of independent samples t-tests indicated that participants with a history of personal or family victimization chose more non-jail time penalties than those with no history of victimization. Also, age differences were found with respect to the ratings of perceived seriousness. Results indicated that the older that a participant was, the more serious he or she rated the crime. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

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