Electronic Resources:	http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/341-360/tandi344/view%20paper.aspx
Web resource:	http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/0/C/5/%7B0C5DFDDF-7A72-43F9-80A1-CA6D51B635B6%7Dtandi344.pdf
Type:	Journal Article
Title:	Juror attitudes and biases in sexual assault casesTrends and issues in crime and criminal justice
Authors:	Taylor, Natalie
Keywords:	Community attitudes;Sexual assault;Legal issues
Year:	2007
Publisher:	Australian Institute of Criminology
Citation:	No. 344
Notes:	Overview: This Australian paper presents the findings from two AIC studies which showed that juror judgements in rape trials are influenced more by the juror's own attitudes, beliefs and biases than by the objective facts presented in the trial, The studies also showed that stereotypical attitudes about rape exist in the community from which the jury is drawn. In striving to increase prosecution and conviction rates for sexual assault it will be necessary to further acknowledge and understand the attitudes and belief structures of the community. The author discusses the difficulty of prosecuting sexual assault offences and examines the data pertaining to the likelihood of obtaining a guilty verdict. The difficulties surrounding the legal and conceptual definitions of consent are discussed, before exploring the evidence regarding juror and community attitudes and beliefs. The paper concludes with a call for the criminal justice system to acknowledge that juries do not make objective judgements about consent and guilt based on the facts presented to them in court, and that they actively interpret the facts based on their own attitudes, beliefs, experiences, biases and expectations. Further research is need to investigate the links between pre-existing attitudes and courtroom outcomes.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/12141
ISBN:	9781921185526
Physical description:	6p
Appears in Collections:	Journal Articles

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