Factors Affecting Credibility in a Simulated Sexual Harassment Hearing

The Impact of Victim Demeanor on Jurors' Perceptions of a Sexual Harassment Victim

Despite the prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace, little research has investigated the role of victim demeanor in perceptions of sexual harassment cases. The present study varied whether the victim cried while testifying by using drawings of the victim. Participants were presented with a civil trial summary and asked to make trial-related judgments. Overall, factors representing participants' perceptions of victim credibility and victim negative emotions were higher when the victim cried than when she did not. The factor representing victim credibility also mediated the relationship between victim demeanor and trial outcomes. Finally, cognitive networks demonstrated that victim demeanor was important to participants' decision-making. The legal implications of the findings are discussed.

A Therapeutic Jurisprudence Approach to the Trial Process in Domestic Violence Felony Trials

This article presents a therapeutic jurisprudence approach to the prosecution of domestic violence–related felony trials. After demonstrating how the current trial process has antitherapeutic effects on victims, the article sets forth a series of recommendations for prosecutors in using a client-centered model during the trial process. These recommendations include the following: anticipating defenses in domestic violence cases, having positive pre-trial interactions with victims to empower them through the process, using pretrial motions to limit negative victim character evidence and introduce evidence about the defendant’s prior abuse, and the importance of allowing victims to contextualize the violence in their testimony during trial.