Scott Jason D, Bell Daniel, Barry Brian, Edlund John E
Department of Criminal Justice, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA.
Department of Psychology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA.
Psychol Rep. 2023 Dec;126(6):3052-3070. doi: 10.1177/00332941221093244. Epub 2022 Apr 28.
In cases of euthanasia, determinations of guilt may be influenced by legal and extra-legal factors. This study explores the role that nullification instructions play in juror decision making. A defendant may be viewed as less culpable if the act was done out of mercy and jury nullification may occur as a result. We anticipated that these determinations may be influenced by the manner of death and the relational distance between the defendant and the decedent. It is unknown how euthanasia is viewed when it is performed by a physician compared to a family member or friend. To answer these questions, participants acted as mock jurors in a euthanasia case. The descriptions of the case varied by the presence of nullification instructions, the manner of death, and the defendant's relationship to the decedent. The results revealed significant effects of method of euthanasia and the type of defendant on juror verdicts. Jurors were most likely to acquit in a case that provided nullification instructions and involved a spouse using lethal injection for euthanasia. This finding suggests that different circumstances of a euthanasia case will affect jurors' propensity to focus on personal sympathies and interpretations. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
在安乐死案件中，有罪判定可能会受到法律和法律之外因素的影响。本研究探讨了无效化指示在陪审员决策过程中所起的作用。如果安乐死行为是出于怜悯，被告可能会被视为罪责较轻，结果可能会出现陪审团宣告无罪的情况。我们预计这些判定可能会受到死亡方式以及被告与死者之间关系亲疏的影响。与由家庭成员或朋友实施安乐死相比，由医生实施安乐死时如何被看待尚不清楚。为了回答这些问题，参与者在一个安乐死案件中充当模拟陪审员。案件描述因是否存在无效化指示、死亡方式以及被告与死者的关系而有所不同。结果显示，安乐死方式和被告类型对陪审员的裁决有显著影响。在一个提供了无效化指示且涉及配偶使用注射致死剂实施安乐死的案件中，陪审员最有可能宣告无罪。这一发现表明，安乐死案件的不同情况会影响陪审员关注个人同情和解读的倾向。本文还讨论了研究的局限性和未来方向。
