Judgements and Decision-Making in Criminal Cases

Title of Study: Judgements and Decision-Making in Criminal Cases 

We are inviting you to take part in a research study. Before you decide, it is important that you know why we are doing the study and what is involved. Please read the following information carefully.
 

The current study aims to investigate mock juror decisions about witnesses and defendants. Specifically, the research is interested in whether providing diagnostic labels or behavioural descriptions effects individuals when making their decisions. This is an important area to investigate as there is currently limited research within this area. A large amount of research surrounds diagnostic labels within education and clinical settings as opposed to the courtroom; therefore this study aims to fill the gap within the literature. The study is conducted online. 
   

You are being invited to take part as you are 18 years or above. We will be asking approximately 120 other people to also take part in this study. Although we believe there to be no significant risks to taking part in the study, participants who feel that reading about a crime take place will be upsetting to them are advised not to take part.
 

Participation is completely voluntary. You should only take part if you want to and choosing not to take part will not disadvantage you in anyway. Please be aware that the study will ask you to read a case trial scenario. The scenario will involve a description of the crime that allegedly occurred, specifically a physical assault of a child, and some description of the court process. There will also be some discussion of the witness’s mental health. Participants will also be asked to read several statements from an existing, standardised measure about your views around mental health. These statements do not in any way reflect the views of the researchers involved or the University of Lincoln.  Participants who feel that this might be upsetting to them are advised not to take part.
 

If you do decide to take part, you will first be asked to sign an eConsent form. This consent form ensures that you are happy to take part and are aware of what you will be asked to do as part of the study. If you agree to take part you will be asked some demographic questions which will include asking you about your gender, your age, and your ethnicity. You will also be given the option to select ‘prefer not to say’ if you do not want to answer these questions. After this, you will be asked to read a case trial scenario. The scenario will involve a description of the crime that allegedly occurred and some description of the court process. There will also be some discussion of witness mental health. **CONTENT WARNING**: Please note that the crime that is alleged to have taken place describes the physical assault of a child. Participants who feel that this might be upsetting to them are advised not to take part. We will ask you some questions about the case trial vignette to ensure that you have understood this. You will be asked some questions about the witness and the defendant in the case trial scenario and given an open text box to explain your answers. Finally, you will be asked some questions regarding your opinion surrounding mental health. All participants will be fully debriefed at the end of the study. It is anticipated that the study will take no longer than 20-25 minutes to complete. 
 

You will not be paid to participate in the study.
 

The researchers do not anticipate there to be any real risks involved in taking part in the study. However, if you feel that reading about a crime take place will be upsetting to you then you are advised not to take part. Furthermore, if you feel that reading statements that address views around mental health will be upsetting to you then you are advised not to take part. At present, we do not know what the outcome of the study will be, which is why we are conducting the research.  
 

Will anyone know I have taken part?
The information we collect will be handled in confidence at all times. No one will know you have taken part, as your responses are anonymous.

Where will my data be stored?
The data obtained from the study will be stored securely on the university OneDrive in password protected files. Only the researchers will have access to it. The data from this study may be put in an Open Access repository for other researchers to use in future research. 

What will happen if I don’t want to carry on with the study? 
You might decide that you do not want to take part. If this is the case, then you do not have to go any further than this point. If you do decide to take part but want to withdraw once the study has begun, then you can do so by clicking the ‘X’ button in the top right-hand corner and closing down the web browser that you are in. As you will be completing the study anonymously it will not be possible to remove the data provided once the study has been completed. This is because we will not be able to identify you in any way. 

What will happen to the results of the research study?
The results of the study will be published in a peer reviewed academics journal. You will not be able to be identified in any work produced from this study. 

Who is organising and funding the research?
This research is being organised by Dr Georgina Gous at the University of Lincoln.

Who has reviewed the study?
All research conducted by the University of Lincoln is looked at by an independent group of people, called a Research Ethics Committee, to protect your interests. This study has been reviewed and given favourable opinion by a University of Lincoln Research Ethics Committee [ethics approval code: UoL 2026_22146].
 

What if there is a problem?
The researchers do not anticipate there to be any real risks involved in taking part in the study and we do not believe that the study will cause you any harm. If you have a concern or a complaint about any aspect of this study, you should ask to speak to the researchers who will do their best to answer your questions. The researchers contact details are given at the end of this information sheet.

If you remain unhappy and wish to complain formally, you can make a formal complaint through the University complaints procedure or by contacting ethics@lincoln.ac.uk.  

Further information and contact details

Contact details of researchers
Dr Georgina Gous (research supervisor) Email: ggous@lincoln.ac.uk Aimee Kettle (MSc Forensic Psychology Student)Email: 25695164@students.lincoln.ac.uk 

If you have any ethical concerns regarding the current research, your treatment as a participant or your involvement in the study please feel free to contact ethics@lincoln.ac.uk.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised by taking part in this study the following organisations may be able to provide help and advice:

NHS Support 
A link to support for mental health related issues through the NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/mental-health-helplines/ 

Victim Support
Victim Support is an independent charity dedicated to supporting victims of crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales. https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/0808 1689 111 (24/7 support line) 

Student Wellbeing Centre (University of Lincoln)
If you are a University of Lincoln student then you may wish to contact the Wellbeing Centrehttps://studentservices.lincoln.ac.uk/Email: studentwellbeing@lincoln.ac.uk