University of Twente Student Theses
The Impact of Bias Awareness on Judgement Outcomes for Defendants with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Wessels, A.G.H. (2025) The Impact of Bias Awareness on Judgement Outcomes for Defendants with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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| Abstract: | While society has become more aware of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there is still a need to understand better how ASD influences legal judgments to have fairer and equitable outcomes in the criminal justice system. This study aimed to see whether providing information about ASD would affect the judgement of defendants with ASD. To answer this question, a 2 (defendants: autistic vs. non-autistic) x 2 (crime relevance: ASD-relevant vs. ASD-irrelevant) x 2 (intervention: pre vs. post) within-subjects design was used. The legal judgements were measured using a mixed-methods design, combining quantitative measures of the perceived seriousness of the crime and the sentence length with qualitative measures of participants’ reasoning. After the informational intervention, in which participants were given information about ASD and how it can be a risk factor for criminality, the perceived seriousness increased but this was not reflected in harsher sentences or more leniency for defendants with ASD. The qualitative data showed that participants, after the intervention, mentioned more aggravating factors for ASD defendants with ASD-irrelevant crimes, but also expressed more doubt about whether prison was an appropriate judgement. The results of this study highlight the importance of how ASD-related information is framed. To improve the fairness for individuals with ASD in the criminal justice system, future research should investigate the impact of different framing styles on legal decision-making in real-world settings. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/105086 |
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