Matching Items (2)
Description
Eyewitness identification has been one of the most crucial components in identifying perpetrators in criminal cases. Misidentification of a suspect often has detrimental effects, with many innocent individuals being wrongfully convicted. In order to fully understand the causes of misidentification, a proper understanding of the process of eyewitness identification must be understood in order to ensure that fewer individuals are falsely imprisoned.
ContributorsKimmins, Emily (Author) / Ahmed, Maliha (Co-author) / DeCarolis, Claudine (Thesis director) / Robinson, Kevin (Committee member) / Smalarz, Laura (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Department of Military Science (Contributor)
Created2022-05
Description
The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of the type of crime (namely, its perceived immorality) a juvenile is suspected of on how juvenile suspects are perceived (in terms of moral character, immaturity, and suggestibility) and, in turn, interrogated. I expected act-person dissociation to influence that effect. To that end, perceptions of crime (i.e., immorality, seriousness) were also investigated. The study was first conducted with law enforcement officers (n = 55), then replicated with laypeople (n = 171). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three crime conditions: robbery, sexual assault, and murder. In each condition, participants read a probable cause statement involving a 15-year-old suspect. There were several key findings: (1) Murder was the most serious crime, whereas robbery and sexual assault were more immoral. (2) Act-person dissociation did not occur. (3) Participants were more likely to endorse the use of psychologically coercive tactics on the juvenile suspected of sexual assault than the juvenile suspected of murder. (4) The more favorably participants perceived a juvenile’s moral character, the less likely they were to endorse the use of psychologically coercive interrogation tactics. (4) Participants who more strongly agreed that juveniles are more immature and suggestible than adults were less likely to endorse the use of psychologically coercive tactics, more likely to endorse the use of tactics that encourage compliance with interrogators, and more likely to adhere to the PEACE model of juvenile interrogations. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed, along with potential directions for future research.
ContributorsFaison, Lakia (Author) / Mickelson, Kristin (Thesis advisor) / Smalarz, Laura (Committee member) / Salerno, Jessica (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021