title: Trial by jury; a pilot study of juror perception of mental health professional testimony in NGRI pleas for first degree international homicide.
abstract: The authors present a pilot statistical study of the way in which jurors perceived psychiatric/psychological expert testimony in ten court trials for first degree intentional homicide in which a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect had been entered. The reader is offered a short history of the insanity defense, of the trial by jury, and a discussion of the desired professional and personality prerequisites looked for in choosing a mental health expert. The study is based on a detailed protocol devised by two of the authors--a forensic psychiatrist and a psychologist--assessing various parameters of the professionality and demeanor of the experts on the basis of a statistically valid number of juror responses to the questionnaire. The results show that the jurors perceived the expert testimony as a useful, but not determinant factor when reaching their verdict. This is consonant with the definition of the rationale for using expert testimony as given by the Federal Rules of Evidence.
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Palermo
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Gram
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zier
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kohler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005104:Expert Testimony; D005260:Female; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D006708:Homicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D007298:Insanity Defense / Q000266:history; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011594:Psychometrics; D012938:Social Perception; D014481:United States; D014922:Wisconsin