Communication and justice: Defendant attributes and their effects on the severity of his sentence

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of a defendant's physical attractiveness and his level of repentance on the magnitude of the sentence given him by a simulated jury. Previous research suggested that defendants with attractive physical appearances who displayed behaviors judged to be repentant by the jury would receive lighter sentences than would unattractive, nonrepentant defendants. This hypothesis was tested by manipulating the defendant's physical attractiveness through different photographs. The defendant's repentance level was varied by using different descriptions of his behavior during the trial. The physical attractiveness variable had no significant effect on the severity of the sentence given the defendant. However, highly repentant defendants were given significantly lighter sentences than were defendants with low repentance levels.