Date of Conferral

2-11-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Michael Klemp-North

Abstract

The goal of this qualitative study was to better understand the impact of scientific evidence ‘s influence on a jury’s verdict. The presence of scientific evidence has the potential to convict the defendant or overturn a guilty verdict as seen in cases involving the innocence project. The theoretical framework for this qualitative study was Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory which postulates heavy exposure to television has the potential to influence the individual’s perception of the world. The researcher implemented an exploratory research design using purposive sampling. A total of 68 participants (prior jurors) applied for the study, 66 from an advertisement placed on Facebook, and 2 from Walden’s participant pool. Ten participants (N=10) followed through to the end of study. A semi structured interview using open ended format (questions) was conducted and recorded online via Zoom. The recordings were transcribed using Microsoft Word. The researcher used the qualitative software NVivo14 for organization and graphing of said data. Based on the generated codes and themes, the researcher’s findings indicated most participants felt apprehensive and had a sense of civic duty during the trial proceedings. Most trials associated with this study contained both hard and soft evidence. The individuals affected by scientific evidence were among most study participants. Providing this information to the prosecution and defense attorneys, understanding how the jurors felt during the trial and the potential influence scientific evidence has on a jury’s verdict can contribute to positive social change by aiding in preventing the conviction of innocent individuals.

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