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The impact of juror characteristics and victim health status on the perception of elder physical abuse.

Author
Abstract
:

An experiment investigated mock juror perceptions of elder abuse using a community sample from Lexington, Kentucky. Two-hundred six men and women ranging in age from 18 to 88 read a fictional criminal trial summary of a case of elder physical abuse (EPA) in which the accuser was described as healthy, frail, or confused. In addition, the influence of participant age, participant gender, and attitude toward the elderly on juror perceptions of EPA was also investigated. Results showed that women had higher conviction rates than did men. Accuser health status, participant age, participant gender, and attitude toward the elderly affected other rating variables including accuser believability, accuser inaccuracy, defendant believability, and verdict confidence. Results suggest implications for how EPA cases are perceived in court.

Year of Publication
:
2008
Journal
:
Journal of interpersonal violence
Volume
:
23
Issue
:
9
Number of Pages
:
1143-61
ISSN Number
:
0886-2605
URL
:
http://jiv.sagepub.com/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=18272720
DOI
:
10.1177/0886260508314294
Short Title
:
J Interpers Violence
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