12/18/2007

Yale University Jury Opinion Study

For those interested, a friend of mine at Yale and a student of his are conducting this survey on juries. Please feel free to participate. This survey picks a case where someone shouldn't have used a gun defensively and sees how people react to the case.

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posted by John Lott at 10:51 AM

3 Comments:

Anonymous Ken said...

Interesting scenario. It would have been interesting to have added questions on whether the respondent was a gun owner and whether he or she had a concealed carry license.

12/18/2007 5:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I disagree John.

Based on the scenario presented, and assuming it is truthful, firing upon the armed drunkard is justifiable.

The questions are a little shoddy also. They do not provide a broad-enough range of responses.

For example, one of the first questions asks whether the guy could have run away from the drunk. How do we know? Maybe he could, maybe not...maybe he shouldn't have to risk making such a choice. A subsequent question addresses this, however...but nevertheless I am forced into an answer I consider incorrect with respect to the case.

12/18/2007 9:13 PM  
Anonymous Mike from WI said...

I didn't like how obtuse the description was. I don't know if Mike has any disabilities that preclude him from escape, and I don't know the weather conditions. Is it icy out? Wet? Is there a danger of slipping during retreat? Is there a history of the door cards not always working? Such is the case at my workplace. What state is this, and what sort of statutory "duty to retreat" does Mike have?

Even if he had a duty to retreat, I don't think murder is what any prosecutor should be looking at seriously. I'd maybe convict for a lesser charge if a more detailed description warranted it.

I really like the idea, though. Perhaps instead of just political views he could collect demographic data . . .

12/18/2007 11:00 PM  

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