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Responses need to be a minimum of one paragraph of substance in which you add to another student’s posting or clearly articulate (in a respectful manner) why you agree or disagree with the student’s opinion; this effort will result in a grade of “C.” You can improve your grade by responding (with substance) to multiple posts. Make sure your response is not simply a reiteration of your original post.
MUST be APA format, in-text citations and references
Peer: Khortnie
As humans, it may be difficult to simply forget about something that we hear, especially if it may be relevant information. Evidence that is presented during trial may not be admissible in court for various reasons, but that does not mean that it is not relevant and that it will not be taken into consideration by the jury. One reason why inadmissible evidence may be relied upon by jurors is thought suppression. Asking a jury to disregard inadmissible evidence may have the opposite effect, causing them to think more about the piece of evidence that was presented (Heilbrun et al., 2024).
Another reason for reliance on inadmissible evidence is reaction theory. Asking the jury to disregard inadmissible evidence may give them the impression that they are not free to use all information provided regarding the case (Heilbrun et al., 2024). They may feel that their freedom to make decisions is being compromised, causing them to find ways to retain that freedom. One of these ways may be to continue to consider the inadmissible evidence that was presented. To counter this, an explanation as to why the evidence should be disregarded can increase compliance (Steblay et al., 2006). Mental contamination can also make it difficult for jurors to disregard evidence. Belief perseverance, the halo effect, and hindsight bias can impact jurors’ perceptions about the defendant, giving more weight to negative inadmissible evidence (Chortek, 2013).
References
Chortek, M. (2013). The psychology of unknowing: Inadmissible evidence in jury and bench trials.
Review of Litigation,
32, 117.
Heilbrun, K., Greene, E., & Douglass, A. B. (2024).
Wrightman’s psychology and the legal system (10th ed.). Cengage.
Steblay, N., Hosch, H. M., Culhane, S. E., & McWethy, A. (2006). The impact on juror verdicts of judicial instruction to disregard inadmissible evidence: A meta-analysis.
Law and human behavior,
30, 469-492.
