Rape Myths and Verdict Systems: What Is Influencing Conviction Rates in Rape Trials in Scotland?

The Scottish verdict system includes three verdicts: 'guilty', 'not guilty' and 'not proven'. Politicians propose that the three-verdict system is partially to blame for the low conviction rate of rape, whereas research suggests that rape myths may be having a larger impact. To test the effects of varying verdict systems (guilty, not guilty and not proven; guilty and not guilty; a series of proven and not proven verdicts) and rape myths on juror verdicts. A total of 180 participants answered questions regarding their acceptance of rape myths using the Acceptance of Modern Myth and Sexual Aggression (AMMSA) scale. They then watched a staged rape trial filmed in a real courtroom and reached a verdict. Participants also provided longer-form answers on which thematical analysis was conducted. The main findings are as follows: (1) The special verdict system leads to a higher conviction rate than the other systems when rape myth acceptance is controlled for. (2) The higher the rape myth acceptance, the more favourably the accused was perceived and the less favourably the complainer was perceived.

Moral foundations and juror verdict justifications.

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which mock jurors justified their verdict decisions using moral foundations language. Participants read a trial transcript describing a second-degree murder charge featuring an automatism plea (which negates the physical volition of a crime). They then provided a two-to-three sentence rationale for their verdict choice, which we coded for the contextually-valid presence of words from the Moral Foundations (MF) Dictionary. Mock jurors were most likely to use harm-related language in justifying murder votes. A qualitative description also revealed differences in the content of the justifications.

Prostate MR image quality of apparent diffusion coefficient maps versus fractional intracellular volume maps from VERDICT MRI using the PI-QUAL score and a dedicated Likert scale for artefacts.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the image quality of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps derived from conventional diffusion-weighted MRI and fractional intracellular volume maps (FIC) from VERDICT MRI (Vascular, Extracellular, Restricted Diffusion for Cytometry in Tumours) in patients from the INNOVATE trial. The inter-reader agreement was also assessed. METHODS: Two readers analysed both ADC and FIC maps from 57 patients enrolled in the INNOVATE prospective trial. Image quality was assessed using the Prostate Imaging Quality (PI-QUAL) score and a subjective image quality Likert score (Likert-IQ). The image quality of FIC and ADC were compared using a Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test. The inter-reader agreement was assessed with Cohen's kappa. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the PI-QUAL score for FIC datasets compared to ADC datasets for either reader (p = 0.240 and p = 0.614). Using the Likert-IQ score, FIC image quality was higher compared to ADC (p = 0.021) as assessed by reader-1 but not for reader-2 (p = 0.663). The inter-reader agreement was 'fair' for PI-QUAL scoring of datasets with FIC maps at 0.27 (95% confidence interval; 0.08-0.46) and ADC datasets at 0.39 (95% confidence interval 0.22-0.57). For Likert scoring, the inter-reader agreement was also 'fair' for FIC maps at 0.38 (95% confidence interval; 0.10-0.65) and substantial for ADC maps at 0.62 (95% confidence interval; 0.39-0.86). CONCLUSION: Image quality was comparable for FIC and ADC. The inter-reader agreement was similar when using PIQUAL for both FIC and ADC datasets but higher for ADC maps compared to FIC maps using the image quality Likert score.

The influence of attorney anger on juror decision making.

We investigated the interactive effect of attorney anger expression and attorney gender on juror decision-making. Jury eligible Amazon MTurk participants (N = 455) were recruited. They listened to an audio recording of a male or female prosecutor delivering a closing statement with varying levels of authenticity (authentic, inauthentic or no anger). Then, they rendered a verdict. After the verdict, participants filled out various measures: guilty verdict confidence, current feelings of anger, and perceptions of prosecutor trust and competence. We found that the prosecutor's authentic displays of anger provoked anger in the participants, which, subsequently, increased the odds of a guilty verdict and guilty verdict confidence. Moreover, authentic displays of anger improved perceptions of the prosecutor's competence, which also increased the odds of a guilty verdict. However, perceptions of the prosecutor's trustworthiness did not vary, and attorney gender did not play a moderating role. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Comprehensive Brain Tumour Characterisation with VERDICT-MRI: Evaluation of Cellular and Vascular Measures Validated by Histology.

The aim of this work was to extend the VERDICT-MRI framework for modelling brain tumours, enabling comprehensive characterisation of both intra- and peritumoural areas with a particular focus on cellular and vascular features. Diffusion MRI data were acquired with multiple b-values (ranging from 50 to 3500 s/mm2), diffusion times, and echo times in 21 patients with brain tumours of different types and with a wide range of cellular and vascular features. We fitted a selection of diffusion models that resulted from the combination of different types of intracellular, extracellular, and vascular compartments to the signal. We compared the models using criteria for parsimony while aiming at good characterisation of all of the key histological brain tumour components. Finally, we evaluated the parameters of the best-performing model in the differentiation of tumour histotypes, using ADC (Apparent Diffusion Coefficient) as a clinical standard reference, and compared them to histopathology and relevant perfusion MRI metrics. The best-performing model for VERDICT in brain tumours was a three-compartment model accounting for anisotropically hindered and isotropically restricted diffusion and isotropic pseudo-diffusion. VERDICT metrics were compatible with the histological appearance of low-grade gliomas and metastases and reflected differences found by histopathology between multiple biopsy samples within tumours. The comparison between histotypes showed that both the intracellular and vascular fractions tended to be higher in tumours with high cellularity (glioblastoma and metastasis), and quantitative analysis showed a trend toward higher values of the intracellular fraction (fic) within the tumour core with increasing glioma grade. We also observed a trend towards a higher free water fraction in vasogenic oedemas around metastases compared to infiltrative oedemas around glioblastomas and WHO 3 gliomas as well as the periphery of low-grade gliomas. In conclusion, we developed and evaluated a multi-compartment diffusion MRI model for brain tumours based on the VERDICT framework, which showed agreement between non-invasive microstructural estimates and histology and encouraging trends for the differentiation of tumour types and sub-regions.

Medical Malpractice Litigation After Spine Surgery in Beijing Between 2013 and 2018.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of alleged medical malpractice litigation involving spine surgery in Beijing between 2013 and 2018. METHODS: Two online legal databases, Wusong and Weike, were queried for court verdicts involving spine surgery from January 2013 to December 2018 in Beijing. For all included cases, data pertaining to defendants, plaintiffs, case outcomes, allegations, and verdicts were abstracted, and descriptive analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 186 legal cases were identified, and 122 cases were excluded because of irrelevance or insufficient information. Of the patients in the 64 cases included in this investigation, 40.6% were male. The mean age of the plaintiffs was 53.2 ± 18.6 years. The most common complaint addressed in this study is inadequate consent (53.1%; n = 34), followed by additional surgery required (40.2%; n = 26), being unsatisfied with the outcome of surgery (17.6%; n = 11), postoperative paralysis (15.6%; n = 10), and postoperative infection (15.6%; n = 10). The most common primary disease among all the cases is lumbar spinal stenosis (28.1%; n = 18), followed by spinal tumor (18.8%; n = 12), cervical spondylosis (17.2%; n = 11), vertebral fracture (14.1%; n = 9), deformity (12.5%; n = 8), and others (9.3%; n = 6). Spine surgeons successfully defended themselves in 13 cases (20.3%), which resulted in no indemnity payment. The remaining 51 cases (79.7%) were closed with an average verdict payout of U.S. $22,597, which was significantly lower than the average compensation claimed by the plaintiff (U.S. $11,3762) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study comprehensively summarized the medical alleged malpractice litigation after spine surgery in Beijing. Given the rapid growth rate of spine surgery and the burden of related alleged medical malpractice litigation, it is valuable for spine surgeons to understand the potential legal impact of spine surgery. The most common complaint addressed in this study is inadequate consent. The findings in the present study highlight that in China, spine surgeons should pay more attention to communication with patients and perform spine surgery based on abnormal imaging as opposed to what the history and physical examination dictate, which can help reduce the litigation rate and improve the patient experience.

Examining the effect of religiosity, moral disengagement, personal attribution, comprehension and proximity on juror decision making regarding insanity pleas.

Legal attitudes, religion, and attributions relate to insanity defense attitudes and legal decisions in insanity cases. Religious fundamentalism has consistently predicted punitiveness associated with insanity; however, the current research focuses on moral disengagement as an explanatory link in the fundamentalist and insanity chain. Additional exploratory interests examined how defendants' perceived proximity to jurors might act as a potential moderator. The current study uses factorial survey design to examine the relationships between the variables using a mock jury insanity trial. Results suggest religious fundamentalism is related to harsher verdicts and sentences, and these relationships are mediated by moral disengagement attributions, authoritarian attitudes towards the persons with mental illness, and negative attitudes towards the insanity defense. Based on findings, prosecution and defense should consider moral and religious themes presented in their arguments. Additionally, defendants pleading insanity should be aware of how juror attitudes and biases might affect the trial and verdict processes.

Emerging MR methods for improved diagnosis of prostate cancer by multiparametric MRI.

Current challenges of using serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level-based screening, such as the increased false positive rate, inability to detect clinically significant prostate cancer (PCa) with random biopsy, multifocality in PCa, and the molecular heterogeneity of PCa, can be addressed by integrating advanced multiparametric MR imaging (mpMRI) approaches into the diagnostic workup of PCa. The standard method for diagnosing PCa is a transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided systematic prostate biopsy, but it suffers from sampling errors and frequently fails to detect clinically significant PCa. mpMRI not only increases the detection of clinically significant PCa, but it also helps to reduce unnecessary biopsies because of its high negative predictive value. Furthermore, non-Cartesian image acquisition and compressed sensing have resulted in faster MR acquisition with improved signal-to-noise ratio, which can be used in quantitative MRI methods such as dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI. With the growing emphasis on the role of pre-biopsy mpMRI in the evaluation of PCa, there is an increased demand for innovative MRI methods that can improve PCa grading, detect clinically significant PCa, and biopsy guidance. To meet these demands, in addition to routine T1-weighted, T2-weighted, DCE-MRI, diffusion MRI, and MR spectroscopy, several new MR methods such as restriction spectrum imaging, vascular, extracellular, and restricted diffusion for cytometry in tumors (VERDICT) method, hybrid multi-dimensional MRI, luminal water imaging, and MR fingerprinting have been developed for a better characterization of the disease. Further, with the increasing interest in combining MR data with clinical and genomic data, there is a growing interest in utilizing radiomics and radiogenomics approaches. These big data can also be utilized in the development of computer-aided diagnostic tools, including automatic segmentation and the detection of clinically significant PCa using machine learning methods.

Verdict spotting: investigating the effects of juror bias, evidence anchors and verdict system in jurors.

The Scottish verdict of not proven represents a second acquittal verdict which is not legally defined. Existing research into the influence of the not proven verdict on jury decision making is modest. The main aim of the current study was therefore to investigate the influence of verdict systems (two vs three) on juror decision making. The effect of pre-trial bias and evidence anchors on juror judgements were also examined. One-hundred and twenty-eight mock jurors listened to two homicide vignettes and were asked to rate their belief of guilt of the accused and to give a verdict in both trials. The results suggest that pre-trial bias was a significant predictor of both verdict choice and belief of guilt, whereas evidence anchors were not a significant predictor of either. Finally, both guilty and not guilty verdicts were given with increased frequency in the two-verdict system when compared to the three-verdict system.

Proven and not proven: A potential alternative to the current Scottish verdict system.

The current Scottish verdict system includes three verdicts: 'guilty', 'not guilty' and 'not proven'. The Scottish Government are currently reviewing the utility of the not proven verdict. Proponents of the not proven verdict suggest that it directs jurors to their true role of determining whether the prosecution's case has, or has not, been 'proven'. Reformists suggest a move to a system similar to England and Wales, with only guilty and not guilty verdicts. However, legal professionals have indicated a preference for an alternative system of proven and not proven. The aim of the current study was to test the effects of a proven and not proven system on verdicts given, when compared to alternative verdict systems (specifically, the current Scottish and Anglo-American verdict systems). 227 mock jurors watched a staged murder trial, filmed in a real-life courtroom, with legal professionals questioning witnesses and a judge giving legal direction. Jurors were significantly more likely to convict in a guilty and not guilty verdict system than either a proven and not proven or a guilty, not guilty and not proven verdict system. Future research should replicate this study with a focus on the impact of the not proven verdict in sexual offences.

News media representations of women who kill their newly born children.

This paper presents a first quantitative analysis of language in media reports of neonaticide and a comparative examination of language use within the reports. One thousand twenty-seven Austrian print media reports from 2004 to 2014 were retrieved; after exclusion, 331 were analysed using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software. After a preliminary analysis, a comparative analysis was carried out between reports on the Graz case and all other cases. The preliminary analysis revealed that a majority of media reports were related to one repeat neonaticide case (Graz) despite not being clinically different from other cases identified for the same period. The comparative linguistic analysis shows some statistically significant differences relating to the domains of emotional words (less words of anxiety, sadness) and family and in the category of insight and certainty (more words). The unexpected media attention on the Graz case and the ensuing verdict, which was in contradiction with the Austrian infanticide act, might have been influenced by the way language was used by journalists and the media. The authors suggest guidelines on sensitive media reporting are required.

MEDICOLEGAL CORNER. Failure to replace obstructed lumbar drain after thoracic-abdominal aortic aneurysm repair leads to paraplegia.

BACKGROUND: To avoid spinal cord ischemia following endovascular/open thoracic-abdominal aortic aneurysm (T-AAA) repair, lumbar drains (LDs) are placed to reduce intraspinal pressure, and increase spinal perfusion pressure. Here, we present a medicolegal case in which a critical care (CC) physician knew that the LD was obstructed following a T-AAA repair, but did not replace it until the patient became paraplegic. The patient was left with permanent sphincter loss, and a severe paraparesis. METHODS: A geriatric patient with multiple medical/cardiovascular comorbidities first underwent an endovascular T-AAA (Crawford Type II T-AAA) repair several years ago. Due to continued expansion of the aneurysm, the patient now required an open T-AAA repair. RESULTS: Prior to the open T-AAA surgery, a prophylactic LD was placed. Postoperatively, the patient required a second emergency operation to repair a leaking intercostal artery anastomosis. The next morning, the CC physician clearly documented the drain was obstructed, but chose to follow the patient; 3.5 hours later, the patient became paraplegic. The LD was replaced after the patient was first sent to MRI to rule out a spinal cord hematoma, resulting in a total delay of more than 6.5 h from when the CC physician first became aware of the non-functioning LD. The patient later regained only partial function, remaining significantly paraparetic with total loss of bowel/bladder function. CONCLUSION: LD for endovascular/open T-AAA repairs reduce spinal fluid pressure, increase spinal cord perfusion pressures, and limits the frequency (i.e. 2.3-2.6%) of resultant spinal cord ischemia/paralysis. Here, despite the CC physician's failure to replace an obstructed LD after an open T-AAA, repair, the jury rendered a defense verdict.

Identifying factors associated with criminal responsibility by analyzing court trial verdicts.

The criminal responsibility of offenders with mental disorders is a key issue in forensic psychiatry. Japan's implementation of the Medical Treatment and Supervision Act and Lay Judge Act in the early 2000s raised public awareness of this issue. To determine how criminal court judges in Japan assess the criminal responsibility of offenders, we examined 453 district court verdicts that mention psychiatric evidence. We extracted elements from each verdict that may be associated with courts' decision-making regarding criminal responsibility and analyzed the relationship between each element and the adjudication of criminal responsibility. We investigated the changes in each element's prevalence over time. A logistic regression analysis revealed that the following were independently associated with the court decisions that offenders' criminal responsibility was intact: understandable motivation for committing the offense, homogeneity of the offense from the defendant's usual behavioral pattern, a coherent process used to commit the offense, alertness while offending, and absence of psychotic symptoms. We observed that recent verdicts are more focused on the offender's perception of illegality and the coherence of the offending process while disregarding the defendant's consciousness and memory while offending. Thus, the courts focus on some specific elements for evaluating the criminal responsibility of each offender.

How Do Judges Discuss Memory Failures in Childhood Sexual Abuse Cases? A Brief Report.

The natural fading of memory presents a difficulty for complainants who report childhood sexual abuse after a significant delay. The complainant's recollections, and their failures to recollect, may be the only source of evidence about the alleged offense and so may be determinative of outcome. We analyzed 101 published judicial decisions of timely tried and delayed complaints of child sexual abuse and coded for judge's comments related to complainants' memory failures. We utilized qualitative and quantitative methods for this study. There were more memory failure comments reported for cases with a delay to trial compared to no delay to trial. Further, there were more memory failure comments in cases that ended in acquittals than convictions when there was a delay to trial. Judicial discussion of memory failures about abuse setting or circumstances accounted for the highest percentage of comments.

Informing reform: The views of legal professionals on the unique aspects of Scottish Law.

The unique Scottish legal system stands apart from the better-known Anglo-American legal system, with variations relating to jury size (15 vs. 12), the number of verdicts available (3 vs. 2) and majority size (simple majority vs. unanimous). At present, only a handful of investigations have explored the effects of the Scottish 'not proven' verdict on jurors, and only a single study has explored the combined impact of the unique elements of the Scottish legal system on juror and jury decision making. The current study is the first to investigate the views of Scottish legal professionals on the three-verdict system, 15-person jury and simple majority verdict system. The aim of the study is to inform public and political debate, involve legal stakeholders in policy changes and decision making and compare legal professionals' views with findings from previously conducted juror studies. Seventy-eight legal professionals took part in an online survey which asked for ratings and open responses on their attitudes to the Scottish (a) three-verdict system, (b) 15-person jury and (c) simple majority system. The results highlighted strong positive attitudes towards the 'not proven' verdict (particularly in a binary-verdict system of proven and not proven), 15-person juries and both the simple and qualified majority verdict systems. There was minimal support for reform towards an Anglo-American system. Instead, the reforms preferred by the legal professionals would be to require a qualified majority of 12/15 jurors, and to use a binary-verdict system of proven and not proven.

New prostate MRI techniques and sequences.

Prostate MRI has seen increasing interest in recent years and has led to the development of new MRI techniques and sequences to improve prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis which are reviewed in this article. Numerous studies have focused on improving image quality (segmented DWI) and faster acquisition (compressed sensing, k-t-SENSE, PROPELLER). An increasing number of studies have developed new quantitative and computer-aided diagnosis methods including artificial intelligence (PROSTATEx challenge) that mitigate the subjective nature of mpMRI interpretation. MR fingerprinting allows rapid, simultaneous generation of quantitative maps of multiple physical properties (T1, T2), where PCa are characterized by lower T1 and T2 values. New techniques like luminal water imaging (LWI), restriction spectrum imaging (RSI), VERDICT and hybrid multi-dimensional MRI (HM-MRI) have been developed for microstructure imaging, which provide information similar to histology. The distinct MR properties of tissue components and their change with the presence of cancer is used to diagnose prostate cancer. LWI is a T2-based imaging technique where long T2-component corresponding to luminal water is reduced in PCa. RSI and VERDICT are diffusion-based techniques where PCa is characterized by increased signal from intra-cellular restricted water and increased intracellular volume fraction, respectively, due to increased cellularity. VERDICT also reveal loss of extracellular-extravascular space in PCa due to loss of glandular structure. HM-MRI measures volumes of prostate tissue components, where PCa has reduced lumen and stromal and increased epithelium volume similar to results shown in histology. Similarly, molecular imaging using hyperpolarized 13C imaging has been utilized.

Age-related and zonal anatomical microstructure features of normal prostatic tissues: a preliminary study with VERDICT MRI.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the differences in VERDICT parameters for normal prostatic tissues among different regions and age groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 31 male volunteers were included in the study. Vascular, extracellular and restricted diffusion for cytometry in tumors (VERDICT) model parameters (fIC, intracellular volume fraction; fEES, extracellular-extravascular space fraction; and fVASC, vascular fraction) were calculated based on the whole prostate volume and the peripheral zone (PZ), central gland (CG) and anterior fibromuscular stroma (AS) regions of interest (ROIs). Agreement between two readers was determined by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient. Two-way ANOVA was used to identify significant differences among age groups and regions within the prostate. Age-related and area-related changes in these parameters were assessed using Spearman's correlation coefficients. RESULTS: There were differences in the parameters among regions of the prostate (P < 0.05). In the PZ, there was a negative correlation between age and fIC (r = - 0.66, P < 0.001, adjusted P < 0.001), and age was positively correlated with fEES (r = 0.69, P < 0.001, adjusted P < 0.001) but had no correlation with fVASC. In the CG ROI, there was a positive correlation between age and fEES (r = 0.56, P < 0.001, adjusted P < 0.001) but no correlation between age and fVASC, similar to the results for the PZ. There were no correlations between age and VERDICT parameters in the AS. CONCLUSION: VERDICT parameters vary among different regions of the prostate and correlate with age. These findings are in agreement with histological theory.

How does India Decide Insanity Pleas? A Review of High Court Judgments in the Past Decade.

BACKGROUND: The Section 84 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) describes how Indian courts have to deal with 'the act of an unsound person'. This study was undertaken with the objectives of estimating the success rate of insanity pleas in Indian High Courts and determining the factors associated with the outcome of such insanity pleas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data was collected from the websites of 23 High Courts of India using the keywords 'insanity' and 'mental illness', and the judgments delivered between 1.1.2007 and 31.08.17 were retrieved. Information regarding the nature of the crime, diagnosis provided by the psychiatrist as an expert witness, documents used to prove mental illness, and the judgment pronounced by the High Court were retrieved. RESULTS: A total of 102 cases were retrieved from 13 High Courts for which data was available. Out of the 102 cases examined, the High Court convicted the accused in 76 cases (74.50%), thereby rejecting the insanity defense. The High Court acquitted the accused under section 84 IPC in 18 cases (17.65%), thereby accepting the insanity plea raised by the accused. Chi-square tests of independence revealed that the verdict of the lower court, documentary evidence of mental illness prior to the crime, and the psychiatrist's opinion were associated with the success of insanity pleas. CONCLUSION: Insanity pleas had a success rate of about 17% in Indian High Courts in the past decade. The factors associated with success of insanity pleas provide valuable guidance to several stakeholders who are dealing with mentally ill offenders.

VERDICT MRI validation in fresh and fixed prostate specimens using patient-specific moulds for histological and MR alignment.

The VERDICT framework for modelling diffusion MRI data aims to relate parameters from a biophysical model to histological features used for tumour grading in prostate cancer. Validation of the VERDICT model is necessary for clinical use. This study compared VERDICT parameters obtained ex vivo with histology in five specimens from radical prostatectomy. A patient-specific 3D-printed mould was used to investigate the effects of fixation on VERDICT parameters and to aid registration to histology. A rich diffusion data set was acquired in each ex vivo prostate before and after fixation. At both time points, data were best described by a two-compartment model: the model assumes that an anisotropic tensor compartment represents the extracellular space and a restricted sphere compartment models the intracellular space. The effect of fixation on model parameters associated with tissue microstructure was small. The patient-specific mould minimized tissue deformations and co-localized slices, so that rigid registration of MRI to histology images allowed region-based comparison with histology. The VERDICT estimate of the intracellular volume fraction corresponded to histological indicators of cellular fraction, including high values in tumour regions. The average sphere radius from VERDICT, representing the average cell size, was relatively uniform across samples. The primary diffusion direction from the extracellular compartment of the VERDICT model aligned with collagen fibre patterns in the stroma obtained by structure tensor analysis. This confirmed the biophysical relationship between ex vivo VERDICT parameters and tissue microstructure from histology.

The Impact of Prior Trial Experience on Mock Jurors' Note Taking During Trials and Recall of Trial Evidence.

Although jurors' recall of trial evidence is often incomplete and inaccurate, courts rely on jurors' ability to remember trial evidence to reach just verdicts. Note taking has been found to enhance jurors' memory of trial evidence. However, the impact of serving on multiple trials on juror note taking and recall has not been examined. Findings from the educational literature demonstrate that students who are more experienced at note taking will take more notes and recall more lecture material. Thus, the current study is the first to investigate if similar benefits are obtained in jurors. Sixty participants attended two experimental sessions and acted as mock jurors. In each session, they watched one of two trial videos, a criminal and a civil trial (order of trials was counterbalanced). All jurors were permitted to take notes whilst watching the trials. Lastly, they were asked to reach a verdict and recall as much trial evidence as they could remember (none of the jurors had access to their notes during the recall task). Jurors wrote down more correct and critical evidence during the second session when compared to the first session. However, there was no statistically significant difference between session one and session two with regards to the quantity of correct and critical evidence jurors recalled. Thus, the present study demonstrates that trial experience enhances mock jurors' note taking, however, there is no additional enhancement regarding recall.