From CUNY Graduate Center:
Most people assume they would never confess to a crime they didn’t commit. But a new study by Graduate Center psychologists shows that people who are partially innocent — those who committed a lesser or different offense — may be just as likely to plead guilty as those who are fully culpable.
The study, “The ‘Partial Innocence’ Effect: False Guilty Pleas to Partially Unethical Behaviors” by alumnae Stephanie A. Cárdenas (Ph.D. ’21, Psychology) and Patricia Y. Sanchez (Ph.D. ’20, Psychology) and Distinguished Professor Saul Kassin (GC/John Jay, Psychology) was published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
The findings have significant implications for the justice system, where over 95% of criminal cases are resolved through plea deals. People who are not guilty of the specific crime they are charged with, but who feel guilty about related behavior, often accept punishment to avoid a worse outcome, even when innocent of the actual accusation. Continue reading >>>
|
|
|
|
