Good looks and jurors studied

Good looks could help guilty defendants dodge justice, researchers have said.
They reported that in an experiment jurors were more likely to convict suspects deemed ugly than those seen as attractive.
It is thought that the principle applies elsewhere in life, with beauty being associated with kindness, intelligence and sporting ability.
The researchers at Bath Spa University in the United Kingdom (yes, that is an appropriate school for such a study) came to their conclusions after asking 96 volunteers to read a transcript of a fictitious mugging case.
Half of the participants were given a picture of an attractive suspect, the others one of a supposedly ugly defendant. The script was the same in either case.
The volunteer 'jurors' were then asked to decide whether the suspect was innocent or guilty. In the latter case they also had to decide on a sentence. Analysis of the results revealed that attractive suspects were more likely to be acquitted, despite there being no extra evidence in their favor.





The study confirms what we all know. Remember how Nick Nolte looked like 10 miles of bad road in his mug shot. He looked like a movie star in court. If we want the case decided fairly to both parties, the jury should see both looks.