Abstract
Findings are reported from an experiment that examined mock jurors’ gender biases regarding intimate homicide case adjudications. Mock jurors were more likely to convict a man than a woman who had killed an abusive partner, which was partially mediated by sympathy toward both the victim and defendant. Analyses revealed an abuser height and abuser gender interaction such that conviction rates for women defendants were higher when her abuser was taller compared to when he was shorter than she; abuser height did not influence conviction rates for men. Findings also suggested that when given information about a child being present, mock jurors perceived the killing of the abusive partner as an act to protect that child. The results are discussed in relation to how extra-legal factors impact juror perceptions of domestic violence cases in the courtroom.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Archer, J. (2000). Sex difference in aggression between heterosexual partners: a meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 651–680. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.126.5.651.
Barnett, O. W., Lee, C. Y., & Thelan, R. (1997). Gender differences in attributions of self-defense and control in interpartner aggression. Violence Against Women, 3, 462–481. doi:10.1177/107780102237408.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173.
Belknap, J., & Melton, H. (2005). Are heterosexual men also victims of intimate partner abuse? Harrisburg: VAWnet, a project of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. Retrieved February 23, 2012 from: http://www.vawnet.org.
Bible, A., Das Dasgupta, S., & Osthoff, S. (2002). Guest editors’ introduction. Violence Against Women, 8, 1267–1270. doi:10.1177/0886260506291658.
Bornstein, B. H. (1999). The ecological validity of jury simulations: is the jury still out? Law and Human Behavior, 23, 75–91. doi:10.1023/A:1022326807441.
Browne, A. (1987). When battered women kill. New York: Free Press.
Bullock, J. G., Green, D. P., & Ha, S. E. (2010). Yes, but what’s the mechanism? (Don’t expect an easy answer). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98, 550–558. doi:10.1037/a0018933.
Campbell, J. C., Glass, N., Sharps, P. W., Laughon, K., & Bloom, T. (2007). Intimate partner homicide: review and implications of research and policy. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 8(3), 246–269. doi:10.1177/1524838007303505.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). National intimate partner and sexual violence survey: 2010 summary report. Atlanta: Author.
Davies, L., & Krane, J. (2006). Collaborate with caution: protecting children, helping mothers. Critical Social Policy, 26(2), 412–425. doi:10.1177/0261018306062592.
Diamond, S. S. (1997). Illuminations and shadows from jury simulations. Law and Human Behavior, 21, 561–571. doi:10.1023/A:1024831908377.
Dobash, R. E., & Dobash, R. P. (2011). What were they thinking? Men who murder an intimate partner. Violence Against Women, 17, 111–134.
Dobash, R. E., Dobash, R. P., Cavanagh, K., & Lewis, R. (2004). Not an ordinary killer—just an ordinary guy: when men murder an intimate woman partner. Violence Against Women, 10, 577–605. doi:10.1177/1077801204265015.
Dutton, D. G. (2006). Rethinking domestic violence. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.
Dutton, D. G., Corvo, K. N., & Hamel, J. (2009). The gender paradigm in domestic violence research and practice part II: the information website of the american bar association. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14, 30–38. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2008.08.002.
Edelson, J. (1998). Responsible mothers and invisible men: child protection in the case of adult domestic violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13(2), 294–298. doi:10.1177/088626098013002010.
Ewing, C. P., & Aubrey, M. (1987). Battered women and public opinion: some realities about the myths. Journal of Family Violence, 2(3), 257–264. doi:10.1007/BF00976543.
Ferraro, K. J. (2003). The words change, but the melody lingers: the persistence of the battered woman syndrome in criminal cases involving battered women. Violence Against Women, 9, 110–129. doi:10.1177/1077801202238432.
Ferraro, K. J. (2006). Neither angels nor demons. Boston: Northeastern University Press.
Ferraro, K. J., & Busch-Armendariz, N. (2009). The use of expert testimony on intimate partner violence. Harrisburg: VAWnet: The National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women. Retrieved February 23, 2012 from: http://www.vawnet.org.
Follingstad, D. R., Shillinglaw, R. D., DeHart, D. D., & Kleinfelter, K. J. (1997). The impact of elements of NGRSD and objective versus subjective instructions on jurors’ verdicts for battered women defendants. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12, 729–747. doi:10.1177/088626097012005008.
Follingstad, D. R., Runge, M. M., Ace, A., Buzan, R., & Helff, C. (2001). Justifiability, sympathy level, and internal/external locus of the reasons battered women remain in abusive relationships. Violence and Victims, 16(6), 621–644.
Fox, J.A., & Zawitz, M.W. (2007). Homicide trends in the United States. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved February 17, 2008. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/homtrnd.htm.
George, M. J. (1994). Riding the donkey backwards: men as the unacceptable victims of marital violence. Journal of Men’s Studies, 3(2), 137–159.
Glick, P., & Fiske, S. T. (2001). An ambivalent alliance: hostile and benevolent sexism as complementary justifications for gender inequality. American Psychologist, 56, 109–118.
Gosling, S. D., Vazire, S., Srivastava, S., & John, O. P. (2004). Should we trust web-based studies? A comparative analysis of six preconceptions about internet questionnaires. American Psychologist, 59(2), 93–104.
Graham-Kevan, N., & Archer, J. (2005). Investigating three explanations of women’s relationship aggression. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 29, 270–277. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2005.00221.x.
Greene, E., Raitz, A., & Lindblad, H. (1989). Jurors’ knowledge of battered women. Journal of Family Violence, 4, 105–125. doi:10.1007/BF01006624.
Hamberger, L. K., & Guse, C. E. (2002). Men’s and women’s use of intimate partner violence in clinical samples. Violence Against Women, 8, 1301–1331. doi:10.1177/107780102762478028.
Harris, R. J., & Cook, C. A. (1994). Attributions about spouse abuse: it matters who the batterers and victims are. Sex Roles, 30, 553–565.
Helgeson, V. S. (1994). Prototypes and dimensions of masculinity and femininity. Sex Roles, 31, 653–682.
Hodell, E. C., Dunlap, E. E., Wasarhaley, N. E., & Golding, J. M. (2012). Factors impacting juror perceptions of battered women who kill their abusers: delay and sleeping status. Psychology, Public Policy & Law, 18(2), 338–351. doi:10.1037/a0025145.
Jackson, L. A., & Ervin, K. S. (1992). Height stereotypes of women and men: the liabilities of shortness for both sexes. The Journal of Social Psychology, 132, 433–445.
Kasian, M., Spanos, N. P., Terrance, C. A., & Peebles, S. (1993). Battered women who kill: jury simulation and legal defenses. Law and Human Behavior, 17(3), 289–312. doi:10.1007/BF01044510.
Kelly, J. B., & Johnson, M. P. (2008). Differentiation among types of intimate partner violence: research update and implications for interventions. Family Court Review, 46(3), 476–499. doi:10.1111/j.1744-1617.2008.00215.x.
Kentucky revised statutes. (2002). Retrieved from http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/statrev/frontpg.htm.
Kerr, N. L., & Bray, R. M. (2005). Simulation, realism, and the study of the jury. In N. Brewer & K. Williams (Eds.), Psychology and law: An empirical perspective. New York: Guilford.
Kolbo, J. R., & Blakely, E. H. (1996). Children who witness domestic violence: a review of empirical literature. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 11, 281–293. doi:10.1177/088626096011002010.
Landsman, M. J., & Hartley, C. (2007). Attributing responsibility for child maltreatment when domestic violence is present. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31, 445–461. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.08.008.
Mbilinyi, L. F., Edleson, J. L., Beeman, S. K., & Hagemeister, A. K. (2007). What happens to children when their mothers are battered? Journal of Family Violence, 22, 309–317. doi:10.1007/s10896-007-9087-x.
Menard, K. S., Anderson, A. L., & Godboldt, S. M. (2009). Gender differences in intimate partner recidivism: a 5-year follow-up. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36, 61–76. doi:10.1177/0093854808325905.
Migliaccio, T. A. (2002). Abused husbands: a narrative analysis. Journal of Family Issues, 23, 26–52. doi:10.1177/0192513X02023001002.
Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40, 879–891. doi:10.3758/BRM.40.3.879.
Rajan, M., & McCloskey, A. (2007). Victims of intimate partner violence: arrest rates across recent studies. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 15(3/4), 27–52. doi:10.1080/10926770802097186.
Rittiman, B. (2008, January 17). Mack thought about killing one more. Channel 2 News. Retrieved from http://darren-mack-news.newslib.com/story/8673-190/
Salska, I., Frederick, D. A., Pawlowski, B., Reilly, A. H., Laird, K. T., & Rudd, N. A. (2008). Conditional mate preferences: factors influencing preferences for height. Personality and Individual Differences, 44, 203–215. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2007.08.008.
Schuller, R. A., & Hastings, P. A. (1996). Trials of battered women who kill: the impact of alternative forms of expert evidence. Law and Human Behavior, 20(2), 167–187. doi:10.1007/BF01499353.
Swami, V., Furnham, A., Balakumar, N., Williams, C., Canaway, K., & Stanistreet, D. (2008). Factors influencing preferences for height: a replication and extension. Personality and Individual Differences, 45, 395–400. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2008.05.012.
Terrance, C. A., Matheson, K., & Spanos, N. P. (2000). Effects of judicial instructions and case characteristics in a mock jury trial of battered women who kill. Law and Human Behavior, 24(2), 207–229. doi:10.1023/A:1005411003414.
Vatnar, S. K. B., & Bjorkly, S. (2010). Does it make any difference if she is a mother? An interactional perspective on intimate partner violence with a focus on motherhood and pregnancy. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25, 94–110. doi:10.1177/0886260508329129.
Worthen, J. B., & Varnado-Sullivan, P. (2005). Gender bias in attributions of responsibility for abuse. Journal of Family Violence, 20, 305–311. doi:10.1007/s10896-005-6606-5.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hodell, E.C., Wasarhaley, N.E., Lynch, K.R. et al. Mock Juror Gender Biases and Perceptions of Self-Defense Claims in Intimate Partner Homicide. J Fam Viol 29, 495–506 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-014-9609-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-014-9609-2