Does a victim's statement of opinion influence lay judges' findings of fact?

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  • 被害者の意見陳述は裁判員の事実認定に影響を与えるか? (<特集>手続二分論とその視点-法学と心理学からのアプローチ)
  • 被害者の意見陳述は裁判員の事実認定に影響を与えるか?
  • ヒガイシャ ノ イケン チンジュツ ワ サイバンイン ノ ジジツ ニンテイ ニ エイキョウ オ アタエル カ?

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In this article, I discuss whether evidence and other information for determining the sentence influence the findings of fact in Japanese trials with lay judges, wherein fact-finding and sentencing do not occur independently. I examine three experimental studies conducted in our laboratory regarding the effect of victims' statements on lay judges. The results of the experiments demonstrate that these statements can, indeed, influence lay judges' guilty verdicts. Such influence cannot be negated by judicial instructions nor by introducing an interval between exposure to the victim's statement and the judicial decision. In general, this study indicates that evidence and other information meant for deciding sentencing improperly influence findings of fact by lay judges. Such experimental data should be considered while discussing the separation of fact-finding and sentencing processes.

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