Abstract
In two experiments, subject-jurors read evidence from actual criminal cases, decided on the guilt of the defendant, and answered several additional questions. The defendant was accused of one charge (murder or rape) or two charges (both murder and rape). In both experiments, the defendant was more likely to be convicted of either crime if the two charges were joined in one trial. Trait ratings indicated that the defendant was perceived in a more negative way when standing trial on two offenses. The order in which the charges were heard had no effect, nor did instructions to subjects to judge the cases separately.
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Greene, E., Loftus, E.F. When crimes are joined at trial. Law Hum Behav 9, 193–207 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01067051
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01067051