Master Theses & Projects (FSSH)

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Browsing Master Theses & Projects (FSSH) by Subject "Apology"

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    Benefits of apology for offenders: the effects of victim presence and coercion on apologies
    (2012-05-01) Saulnier, Alana; Sivasubramaniam, Diane
    Offenders in some restorative justice programs are required to offer an apology as a condition of successful completion of the restorative justice procedure, or else return to court. Apologies can be required even when victims do not attend the restorative justice procedure. Apologising can result in several benefits for apologisers, but previous research suggests that coercion and lack of victim presence in restorative justice procedures may reduce those benefits. Participants (n = 120) took part in a deceptive live study designed to elicit confessions for a transgression and subsequent apologies. In this study, I manipulated coercion (Coerced, Not coerced) and victim presence (Direct, Surrogate, Ambiguous), to test their effects on the outcome benefits that offenders derived from offering an apology. Findings indicated that victim presence and coercion significantly impact outcome benefits for apologisers, including: perceptions of personal responsibility, accountability for consequences, transgression exaggeration and procedural fairness judgments. Implications for restorative justice programs are discussed.
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    Examing the effects of apology and compensation on participants' perceptions of exonerees.
    (2014-08-01) Ivany, Alyx A.; Clow, Kimberley
    Research suggests that exonerees experience stigma post-incarceration that causes reintegration difficulties (Westervelt & Cook, 2010). Using Weiner’s (1993) theory of social motivation, we investigated whether apology or compensation influenced perceptions of exonerees. Participants read vignettes detailing the release of an exoneree with a video component added in the second study. Study One manipulated exoneree sex as well as the presence of compensation and apology. Results indicated that the presence of an apology increased positive attributes (overall attitudes, feelings of sympathy, and willingness to assist) with minimal effects found for compensation or exoneree sex. Study Two examined the impact of apologies on perceptions of exonerees based on the type of apology issued and the factor that lead to their wrongful conviction. Participants` ratings of responsibility and anger indicate negative perceptions of individuals who falsely confess. The implications of issuing apologies are discussed in hopes of decreasing the reintegration difficulties of exonerees.
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    Societal perceptions of wrongful convictions
    (2012-07-01) Blandisi, Isabella; Clow, Kimberley
    In recent years wrongful convictions have received a considerable amount of research attention. This flourishing interest has resulted in a growing body of literature that aims to investigate this criminal justice phenomenon. Specifically, the current academic literature suggests that exonerees have reported feeling stigmatized; however, public perception research suggests that the public is actually supportive of exonerees. As very little research has been conducted on public perceptions of wrongful conviction—and on the views of community members, in particular—this thesis sought to further explore this topic using open-ended, structured interviews. In addition, the literature has been criticized for its lack of theory integration. Therefore, the results of this study have been interpreted in the context of Giddens‘ Structuration Theory. Indeed, public perception and support are important as they may influence policy changes and encourage the government to be more forthcoming when it comes to preventing wrongful convictions and helping exonerees post-conviction. Overall, results indicated that community members defined wrongful conviction as cases of factual innocence. They also had limited knowledge of wrongful conviction, leading some participants to believe that wrongful convictions were infrequent. Community members were also able to identify several factors that lead to wrongful convictions (e.g., mistaken eyewitnesses), felt that the criminal justice system did a fair job in light of wrongful convictions, and generally held positive views toward exonerees (e.g., believing that they should receive supportive services, such as financial compensation, job training, and apologies). Furthermore, results highlight that while community members acknowledge that exonerees likely experience stigmatization, the majority of participants did not personally express stigmatizing views.