Relations Between Experience with Mental Illness and the Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity Plea

Identifier

6179

Author

Madelyn Gero

Date

2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Psychology

Concentration

General Psychology

Committee Chair

Leslie A. Robinson

Committee Member

Meghan McDevitt-Murphy

Committee Member

Kenneth D. Ward

Abstract

The Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) plea is one of the most controversial defense strategies used in the modern legal system. The aim of this study was to determine whether previous experience with mental illness was a factor in participants' likelihood of assigning a NGRI verdict. Participants (N = 268) read a vignette and assigned a verdict. Items dealing with previous experience with mental illness and other related variables were included. Reliability and validity analyses and an exploratory factor analysis were performed on the previous experience with mental illness measure. Futher, logistic regression analyses were performed using measures of previous experience with mentla illness and other related variables predicting verdict choice. Results showed that no measures predicted verdict choice althought the previous experience with mental illness measure performed well. Research regarding factors related to verdict choice is still very limited and needs to be continued.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

Recommended Citation

Gero, Madelyn, "Relations Between Experience with Mental Illness and the Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity Plea" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1823.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/etd/1823