Z badań nad czynnikami wpływającymi na podejmowanie decyzji o wymiarze kary

Abstract

The authors have conducted research on factors influencing judges decision about punishment making in criminal proceedings. In the experiment 80 subjects (40 psychology students and 40 law students) were presented with police findings about a homicide. Both psychology students and law students were divided into two supplementary groups (20 on each group) with changed elements of using police findings (concerning the same homicide). Some the perpetrator’s features were changed. The sane findings were presented to 6 judges who were making decision in penal cases in real. All participants made decision about punishment individually. The authors wanted to get answers to following questions: – Does the kind of graduate study of the decision maker or particular features of the perpetrator influence decisions about punishment? The research made the following findings. There were significant differences in the average size of sentence between psychology students and law students. Declared reasons for sentences were somewhat different too. But differences between psychology students and law students are less significant than differences between all students and judges. The average sentence of judges was the most severe with the perpetrator.