Dissertation

Thank you for choosing to participate in this study on criminal justice policy. It is part of a project being conducted at the Hofstra University Department of Psychology by Joseph McCabe, M.A., under the supervision of Howard Kassinove, Ph.D., ABPP.

During this study you will be asked to read police reports, report your personal reactions, watch a video segment from a trial, provide your verdict for the case, respond to several brief questionnaires, and complete a demographic questionnaire in order to be eligible for a raffle of $100 gift card to Amazon.com.

All information gathered during this time will be de-identified (meaning that your name and contact information will not be directly linked to your responses) and will be held in confidence. The data gathered from this study will be analyzed without the identification of individuals and will be reviewed by members of the Department of Psychology.

You can withdraw at anytime, without penalty, but doing so will mean you are no longer eligible for the gift card. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or my faculty supervisor Howard Kassinove, Ph.D., ABBP at [email protected]. If for any reason you have concerns after participating in this study and would like counseling services, please contact your local mental health providers.

I appreciate your participation in this study and will be happy to answer any questions you may have. If you wish, I can share the findings of the study with you when it is completed.Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,
Joseph McCabe, M.A. (principle investigator)

I have read and understand the information shown on the previous page and agree to participate in this project.

I Agree

I know that most of you are participating in this study for a chance to receive the monetary incentive that is being offered. I just wanted to tell you about the importance of this study before we get started.

Hofstra University has been contacted by the Nassau County district court to be part of a program that is helping to determine revisions to how legal issues are addressed with private institutions (e.g., universities and hospitals).

Based on the work we will be doing today, Hofstra will make recommendations to the court and the legal officials regarding how to treat similar cases in the future.

This study matters and your thoughtfulness is important!

The criminal case you will be hearing about today might be uncomfortable or disturbing to some of you. Please pay close attention to the details. However, if you do not feel comfortable participating, you can withdraw by closing out the study at any time. There will be no punishment for leaving the study, but doing so will disqualify you for the potential $100 gift certificate.

Due to the cooperation between Hofstra University and the Nassau County Police Department for this project, we have been asked to have all participants sign a confidentiality waiver. This waiver is necessary since you will be exposed to sensitive information regarding a former investigation. While the defendant and victim’s names have been modified and the official reports have been redacted, you will still be viewing video recorded testimony from the court case. With this in mind, we ask that you sign the waiver before beginning the study.

Signing this form is your choice and you are under no obligation to do so. However, failure to do so will exclude you from the remainder of the study.

I hereby acknowledge that I will keep any case details, documents, recordings, or information regarding this incident confidential. By electronically signing (typing) "I Agree", I hereby agree to these terms.

I Agree

This scale consists of a number of words and phrases that describe different feelings and emotions. Read each item and then mark the appropriate answer in the space next to that word. Indicate to what extent you feel this way right now (that is, at the present moment).

Police Report pg 1

Police report pg 2

Randomization of video? Link?

Please read all of the options below, then continue to the next section to select your verdict.

Not Guilty: The accused is not guilty of the accused crime due to a lack of evidence to support the charges.

Battered Woman Syndrome/ Temporary Insanity: In response to the abuse she endured, the accused was briefly insane at the time the crime was committed. Therefore, she was incapable of knowing the nature of her alleged criminal act.

Weapon Possession/ Misdemeanor: The accused is found to have an unlawful possession of a weapon that was not registered to her.

Aggravated Assault/ Misdemeanor: The accused attempted to cause serious bodily injury to another, knowingly or recklessly, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life; or to cause injury to another with the use of a deadly weapon.

Involuntary Manslaughter: The accused is guilty of the unlawful killing of another, without intent to kill, during the commission of an unlawful act not ordinarily expected to result in great bodily harm.

Voluntary Manslaughter: The accused is guilty of the unlawful killing of another, without intent to kill, upon a sudden impulse.

Second Degree Murder: Murder in the second degree is characterized by a sudden and instantaneous intent to kill or to cause injury without caring whether the injury kills or not.

First Degree Murder: Murder in the first degree is characterized by premeditation.