Religion in Criminal Justice (Criminal Justice: Recent Scholarship) (Criminal Justice: Recent Scholarship)

Miller demonstrates how religion affects every aspect of the judicial system by focusing on religious appeals by attorneys in closing arguments of death penalty sentencing trials. She explores whether these appeals lead jurors to make legally impermissible decisions, as some courts have feared. Can religious appeals lead jurors to rely on the Bible instead of state law? Her results show that the more participants relied on Biblical authority, the more they relied on their instincts and the less they relied on evidence and the judge's instructions. Gender, devotionalism, belief in a literal Biblical interpretation, and an individual's cognitive processing style also affected verdicts. Annotation Miller demonstrates how religion affects every aspect of the judicial system by focusing on religious appeals by attorneys in closing arguments of death penalty sentencing trials. She explores whether these appeals lead jurors to make legally impermissible decisions, as some courts have feared. Can religious appeals lead jurors to rely on the Bible instead of state law? Her results show that the more participants relied on Biblical authority, the more they relied on their instincts and the less they relied on evidence and judges' instructions. Gender, devotionalism, belief in a literal Biblical interpretation, and an individual's cognitive processing style also affected verdicts An Introduction To Religion In Criminal Justice -- Religion In High Profile Trials -- Religion In The Legal System -- Common Prosecution Appeals -- Common Defense Appeals -- Court Decisions Regarding Religion In Closing Arguments -- Research Questions Surrounding Religious Appeals -- Overview Of Experimental Studies -- Study One : The Use Of Religious Appeals By Prosecutors -- Study Two : The Use Of Religious Appeals By Defense Attorneys -- Discussion, Limitations, And Future Studies -- Conclusions. Monica K. Miller. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 171-180) And Index.