The Death Equation: Exploring Jury Decision Making in Death Penalty Cases

IRB # 97-10-089 EX

You are invited to participate in this research study. The following information is provided in order to help you to make an informed decision whether or not to participate . If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

You are qualified to participate because you are a jury-eligible community member or undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska. If you are under 18 years of age, then you must have a signed parental consent form to participate in this research.

The purpose of this study is to identify the effect of certain aggravating and mitigating factors in the decision process of jurors in a death penalty case when they are asked to determine if a defendant should be given the death penalty, and to study the effect of jury instructions on that process.

Participation in this study will require approximately one hour of your time, and the study should be done on a computer. You will be asked to read a scenario depicting a death penalty case, and to answer some questions about it on a webpage. The scenario may contain a description of a violent crime and some references to child abuse. This could create some minimal discomfort for you. If you find that the information makes you uncomfortable, you are free to withdraw at any time.

You may find the learning experience enjoyable, and the process may help you to better understand the criminal justice process and the way in which death penalty decisions are made. The information gained from this study will help us better understand the factors that influence jurors in their decision processes in death penalty cases.

Any information obtained during this study which could identify you will be kept strictly confidential. The information obtained in this study may be published in scientific journals or presented at scientific meetings, but your identity will be kept strictly confidential.

You are free to decide not to participate in this study or to withdraw at any time without adversely affecting your relationship with the investigators or the University of Nebraska. Your decision will not result in any loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.

You may ask questions concerning the research before agreeing to participate or during the experiment. If you have any questions about your rights as a research subject that have not been answered by the investigator you may contact the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institutional Review Board at 472-6965.