Tipsy testimonies: The effect of alcohol intoxication status, crime role, and juror characteristics on mock jury decision-making

Victims and witnesses are regularly intoxicated with alcohol during crimes and jurors must evaluate their testimony when making decisions. The current study investigated the effect of the crime role of a testimony-giver (victim or witness), their intoxication level during the crime, and jurors’ personal characteristics on mock jury decision-making. Participants (N = 181) read a trial transcript and completed a survey assessing trial-related judgements, demographics, and expectations about and experiences with alcohol. Lower victim/witness intoxication was associated with higher credibility ratings, lower cognitive impairment ratings, and more convictions. Crime role did not impact dependent variables and jurors’ characteristics had a limited influence: only alcohol-related work experience and the perceived gender of the victim/witness predicted a minority of decision types. The current study asserts the need for evidence-based jury education about alcohol and eyewitness memory with a focus on delivery via familiar metrics.