Citation

Kaltwang ME, Biganzoli A, Barideaux K, Gray JM. Psychol. Crime Law 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/1068316X.2022.2069767

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

There is very little empirical evidence about how vehicular heatstroke cases are treated by the criminal justice system. Previous research demonstrates a wide disparity in legal outcomes for cases involving vehicular heatstroke, ranging from acquittals to charges of child neglect or murder. To better understand how specific factors could potentially impact justice outcomes for vehicular heatstroke cases, two experiments were designed. In Experiment 1, participants (n = 146) read a scenario involving an infant hot car death, where the mother's workplace (bar or church) and perceived parenting character (perceived as a bad parent or good parent) were manipulated. In Experiment 2, participants (n = 161) read a scenario where the parent's sex (mother or father) and parenting character were varied. The results from both experiments indicated that participants were more likely to assign responsibility for the child's death when the parent was perceived as having a bad parenting character. It was also found (in Experiment 2) that participants were more likely to forgive the parent with a bad parenting character if they were a mother rather than a father. These findings suggest that extralegal factors could influence legal decisions for vehicular heatstroke cases.

Language: en

Keywords

extralegal factors; hot cars; legal decisions; Vehicular heatstroke