Date of Award
Summer 8-17-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department/Program
Forensic Psychology
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Philip Yanos
Second Reader
Kendra Doychak
Third Advisor
Haney-Caron
Abstract
The current research examined the impact of risk assessment information in the sentencing of defendants of varying socioeconomic statuses (SES), and mental health statuses. A US sample of students studying law (N = 137) was assigned to view one of eight vignettes that manipulated the defendants SES (i.e., low or high), mental health status (i.e., schizophrenia diagnosis or no diagnosis), and the availability of risk data (i.e., present or absent). Participants sentenced the defendant to probation, short-term jail, or prison, and indicated the sentence length in years. An Ordinal Logistic Regression and a Three-way Factorial ANOVA indicated neither the availability of risk data, SES, or mental health status significantly predicted sentence type or length. Although, the study was underpowered and the sample exhibited a pervasive tendency towards leniency, a non-significant trend emerged, in which participants recommend harsher hypothetical sentences for non-schizophrenia defendants than their schizophrenia counterparts.
Recommended Citation
Walsh, Lily A., "Risk Assessment and Sentencing Bias: The Role of Socioeconomic Status and Mental Health" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/410
