Mitigating Factors in the Perceived Threat and Sentencing of Serial Murderers

Current literature examining the presence or absence of mitigating evidence has demonstrated that there is an influence that this information can have on sentencing. The purpose of this study was to assess whether participants who read vignettes involving serial murderers would be significantly influenced by mitigating factors and the offenders' gender when making decisions about sentencing. There were a total of four vignettes describing an offender who committed serial murder. Results of the Multivariate of Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) yielded a significant interaction demonstrating that for male offenders, the inclusion of mitigating evidence elicited less severe penalties. There was no such effect for female offenders. Two main effects were also achieved related to mitigating evidence. Participants who were presented with the vignettes containing the mitigating evidence demonstrated stronger support for the recommendation of mental health services and a higher belief that the offender would benefit from these services.