LE3 .A278 1999

1999

Horvath, Peter

Acadia University

Master of Science

Masters

Clinical Psychology

Psychology

The purpose of this thesis was to assess the impact of common elements of planning behaviour on perceptions of criminal responsibility and insanity. 183 jury-eligible participants were recruited from the community. Each participant read one of eight crime scenarios that manipulated the planned or spontaneous choice of a weapon, the presence or absence of stalking, and the severity of the crime. Participants rendered a verdict and completed several attribution scales. The results suggest that the presence of a previously selected weapon and the increased severity of the crime reduced verdicts of Not Criminally Responsible by Reason of Mental Disorder (NCR-MD) and increased jurors' perceptions of the defendant's ability to understand and control his actions. The interaction of crime severity and stalking indicated that generally when the victim died and stalking was involved, verdicts of NCR-MD and perceptions of the defendant's insanity increased. When the victim survived the assault and stalking was involved, however, verdicts of NCR-MD and perceptions of the defendant's insanity decreased. Implications for future research and the criminal justice system are discussed.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3012