Juror interpretations of ambiguous evidence

In the context of a mock jury study, we tested the hypothesis that people's interpretations of ambiguous evidence depend on how (i.e., by whom) that evidence is introduced. Subjects watched a 45-min interrogation of a murder suspect who emphatically asserted her innocence but told an imperfect story. Before the tape, subjects read either the prosecution or defense lawyer's arguments concerning the suspect's interrogation performance; after the tape, they read counter-arguments from the opposing side. Results indicated that subjects high in the need for cognition (NC) were influenced more by arguments that preceded the evidence, whereas low-NC subjects were more influenced by arguments that followed the evidence. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Effects of older brother-younger sister incest: A review of four cases

This study describes the self-reported histories of four women who experience long-term negative effects from childhood incest with their older brothers. In all of these cases the women describe symptoms of low self-esteem and guilt, in relation to their role in the incest. Other perceived long-term harmful effects vary according to the amount of force or coercion used by the brothers, the duration of the incest, and parental response to the incest. These include depression, difficulties with trusting others, and sexual dysfunction. The women also describe the dysfunction in their families-of-origin that contribute to their perceptions of the incest.     

Legal Change and Sentencing Norms in the Wake of Booker: The Impact of Time and Place on Drug Trafficking Cases in Federal Court

The federal sentencing guidelines have lost some authoritative force since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a series of recent cases that the guidelines are advisory, rather than presumptive, in determining criminal sentences. While these court decisions represent a dramatic legal intervention, sociolegal scholarship suggests that organizational norms are likely to change slowly and less dramatically than the formal law itself. The research reported here looks specifically at the consequences of such legal transformations over time and across locale, using multilevel analysis of U.S. Sentencing Commission sentence outcome data from 1993 to 2009. Our findings suggest that districts vary considerably from each other in sentencing practices over the time period studied, and that there is relative within‐district stability of outcomes within districts over time, including in response to the Supreme Court's mandates. We also find that policy change appears to influence the mechanisms by which cases are adjudicated in order to reach normative outcomes. Finally, we find that the relative district‐level reliance upon mandatory minimums, which were not directly impacted by the guidelines changes, is an important factor in how drug trafficking cases are adjudicated. We conclude that local legal practices not only diverge in important ways across place, but also become entrenched over time such that top‐down legal reform is largely reappropriated and absorbed into locally established practices.     

Non-monetary obstacles to medical care: Evidence from postpartum contraceptives

We use changes to Medicaid immediate postpartum policy to test whether non-monetary costs are meaningful obstacles to health care. Medicaid in several states currently covers long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs, including IUDs and implants) immediately following delivery of a child, eliminating much of the time-cost and stress associated with obtaining a LARC. Postpartum LARCs can reduce unintended and short-interval pregnancies, which are associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. Births that occur in Catholic-owned hospitals are an ideal control group, because these hospitals are prohibited from offering family-planning services, including LARCs. Using difference-in-differences and individual-level administrative data from Louisiana and New York, we find eliminating non-monetary obstacles increases take-up of a high-value and highly effective form of contraception. Additionally, we find no evidence of crowd-out of outpatient LARCs.