Sex and race as factors affecting the attribution of insanity in a murder trial.
Two hundred and eight white male and female college students read a summary of a case of a violent murder in which an insanity plea was entered. The sex and race (black or white) of the hypothetical defendant was varied in a 2 X 2 factorial design with 52 Ss per cell. Measurements included verdict (guilty or insane), length of recommended sentence, and ratings of certain defendant characteristics. Major results were as follows: (a) harsher treatment of males as indicated by longer sentences, (b) longer sentences for white as opposed to black males among defendants found guilty, and (c) a trend toward a higher proportion of guilty verdicts for black males.
D003657:Decision Making; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide; D006801:Humans; D007298:Insanity Defense; D007603:Jurisprudence; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors