The present study attempts to provide a more thorough understanding of public attitudes toward capital punishment. Two theories are tested toward this end, utilizing a random sample taken from the jury pool in Hillsborough County, Florida. First, An indirect test of reference group theory demonstrates the degree to which faith group, religiosity, and race affect public attitudes toward the death penalty. Surprisingly, there is little, albeit mixed, support for reference group theory as it attempts to explain attitudes toward capital punishment. Using the relationships between religion and capital punishment attitudes that we presumed would emerge from the test of reference group theory, we developed a processual model to more accurately describe how the relationships between religion and capital punishment operates. A test of attribution theory provided the vehicle through which this processual model could be tested. Although it seemed that the model was dependent on significant findings between the relationships in reference group theory, this was not the case. Indeed, we found many relationships between certain dimensions of religion and capital punishment attitudes that were consistent with previous research. Moreover, this piece of research is among the first to examine the effect of possessing a more progressive theological emphasis on death penalty attitudes. It addresses important theoretical and empirical questions regarding the direct and indirect relationships between religion and capital punishment attitudes.

abstract: Although most Americans support capital punishment, many people have misconceptions about its efficacy and administration (e.g., that capital punishment deters crime). Can correcting people’s inaccurate attitudes change their support for the death penalty? If not, are there other strategies that might shift people’s attitudes about the death penalty? Some research suggests that statistical information can correct misconceptions about polarizing topics. Yet, statistics might be irrelevant if people support capital punishment for purely retributive reasons, suggesting other argumentative strategies may be more effective. In Study 1, I compared how two different interventions shifted attitudes towards the death penalty. In Studies 2 - 4 I examined what other attitudes shape endorsement of capital punishment, and used these findings to develop and test an educational intervention aimed at providing information about errors in the implementation of the death penalty. Altogether, these findings suggest that attitudes about capital punishment are based on more than just retributive motives, and that correcting misconceptions related to its administration and other relevant factors reduces support for the death penalty. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2019

The Swedish penalty system has created a fierce and lively debate during the past years. Thisdebate originates mostly from the youth discount that offenders between the age of 18 and 20can make use of. There is a clear division between the argumentative sides when it comes tothis particular debate. One side argues for the removal of this criminal discount for youngadults, whilst the other side are against it.The purpose of this study is to examine the different underlying perspectives that theserespective sides have. The method of evaluation I will be using in this study is a descriptiveideaanalysis of constructive ideal types. The theoretical framework that these ideal typesstems from are proportionality, justice, general prevention and individual prevention. Thestudy has displayed that the debate regarding this criminal discount for young adults has hadelements of all four of these attributes. There exists fundamental differences in the underlyingideas when it comes to both sides in this specific discount towards young adults. Theopposition side has clear general prevention ideas behind their arguments, whereas the sidethat are in favor of the discount inherently believes in the ideas that regard proportionality,justice and individual prevention.

The Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees individuals’ right to trial by an impartial jury. However, empirical research indicates that the jury system is flawed, especially regarding judicial sentencing instructions. More specifically, jurors frequently misunderstand or misinterpret State patterned instructions. On a more encouraging note, there is evidence that comprehension of jury instructions can be improved. Thus, this research assessed improvement in juror comprehension using revised sentencing instructions. For the current investigation, participants included 201 volunteers called for jury duty in Western Tennessee. Data were generated via a questionnaire, which allowed for the collection of information relating to participants’ understanding of the sentencing instructions. Findings suggest that comprehension is low when jurors are only exposed to instructions written by the State. Furthermore, when jurors were given a more detailed explanation of certain problematic terminology, comprehension significantly increased. Policy implications of this research and directions for future improvement are discussed.

How society views the use of the death penalty as a means of punishment greatly affects the decisions of lawmakers, politicians who use it as a platform for election, and the criminals who commit the crime of murder. This study used 40 different vignettes involving real-life murder scenarios in order for participants to form a more precise opinion of what the correct punishment for the crime should be. Given a choice between the death penalty, life without the possibility of parole, a prison term of their choosing, or other, participants were asked to assign a sanction for each vignette. Respondents were asked to answer demographic questions about themselves in order for these variables to be regressed to examine how their status relates to their opinion of the death penalty as a punishment for murder. Statistical analysis showed income level, political affiliation, and religious affiliation to be significant variables. Analysis of the vignettes themselves revealed substantial variation in individual's willingness to apply the death penalty across various types of murder.

The aim of this thesis is to optimize hydro power plants with data generated from observations and field tests at the plants. The output is optimal production tables and curves in order to operate and plan hydro power plants in an optimized way concerning power output, efficiency and distribution of water. The thesis is performed in collaboration with Vattenfall AB, which currently use an internal optimization program called SEVAP. Two alternative methods have been selected, employed and compared with the current optimization program, these are Interior-Point Method and Sequential Quadratic Programming. Three start-point strategies are created to increase the probability of finding a global optima. A heuristic rule is used for selection of strategy in order to prevent rapid changes in load distribution for small variations in dispatched water. The optimization is performed at three plants in Sweden with different size and setup. The results of this evaluation showed marginally better results for the employed methods in comparison to the currently used optimization. Further, the developed program is more flexible and compatible to integrate with future digitalization projects. / Syftet med detta examensarbete är att optimera vattenkraftverk med data som genererats från indextester vid kraftverken. Resultatet är optimala produktionstabeller och kurvor för drift och planering av vattenkraftverk. Dessa är baserade på att optimalt fördela vattnet mellan aggregaten för att maximera uteffekt och verkningsgrad. Detta arbete har utförts i samarbete med Vattenfall AB, som för närvarande använder ett internt optimeringsprogram som heter SEVAP. Två optimeringsmetoder har valts, implementerats och jämförts med det nuvarande optimeringsprogrammet. Dessa metoder är inrepunktsmetoden (IPM) och sekventiell kvadratiskt programmering (SQP). Tre startpunktsstrategier har används för att öka sannolikheten att hitta ett globalt optima. För att förhindra hastiga förändringar i lastfördelning för små variationer av avsänt vatten har en heuristisk regel används. Optimeringen har utförts på tre stationer med olika uppsättning och storlek. Resultatet av detta examensarbete visar marginellt bättre resultat för de använda metoderna i jämförelse med den nuvarande optimeringen. Det utvecklade programmet är flexibelt och kompatibelt att integrera med framtida digitaliseringsprojekt.

There has been an increase in writings that address the last statements of condemned offenders. Many of these writings suggest that exposure to the humanity sometimes exhibited in these last statements may steer public opinion against the death penalty. This dissertation tests this suggestion by exposing 400 participants to randomly generated vignettes containing various capital crimes, demographic characteristics, and last statements. The survey data are analyzed utilizing multilevel modeling. Study results include the effects of varying levels of demonstrated humanity in the last statements of condemned offenders on public opinion, and whether specific demographic characteristics appear to influence study participant responses. Findings showed no statistically significant results that indicate any effect on death penalty opinion as a result of reading last statements demonstrating humanity. Condemned inmates who did not provide a statement, or stated they had nothing to say, elicited higher levels of confidence that executing them was the right thing to do. Condemned inmates who claimed innocence in their last statements were associated with the lowest level of respondent confidence that execution was the right thing to do, and a higher level of support for life without parole as an alternative punishment. Recommendations for further research are discussed.

This thesis tests the three hypotheses derived from the written opinion of Justice Thurgood Marshall in Furman v Georgia in 1972. Subjects completed questionnaires at the beginning and the end of the fall 2006 semester. Experimental group subjects were enrolled in a death penalty class, while control group subjects were enrolled in another criminal justice class. The death penalty class was the experimental stimulus. Findings provided strong support for the first and third hypotheses, i.e., subjects were generally lacking in death penalty knowledge before the experimental stimulus, and death penalty proponents who scored "high" on a retribution index did not change their death penalty opinions despite exposure to death penalty knowledge. Marshall's second hypothesis--that death penalty knowledge and death penalty support were inversely related--was not supported by the data. Two serendipitous findings were that death penalty proponents who scored "low" on a retribution index also did not change their death penalty opinions after becoming more informed about the subject, and that death penalty knowledge did not alter subjects' initial retributive positions. Suggestions for future research are provided.

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As the most powerful position of the courtroom workgroup, the prosecutor plays an essential role in the criminal justice system. From the defendant's initial contact with the criminal court process when the prosecutor makes the charging decision, until sentencing when the prosecutor's recommendation guides judicial discretion, prosecutors hold the power to decide a defendant's fate. Despite the parameters that govern their ability to use discretion, the prosecutor still maintains a significant amount of power to influence crucial decisions with regard to the defendant. The current study addresses the issue of prosecutorial discretion and the ability to mishandle the powers bestowed upon such a powerful position. While prosecutorial discretion has a broad base, the study was narrowed to specifically concentrate on discretion as it impacts plea bargaining and final dispositions. Additionally, an analysis of the data looks at whether or not a defendant faces jury trial penalty for exercising his/her constitutional right to a trial by jury. A statistical comparison was constructed using data collected with respect to specific murder and sexual battery statutes over a 24-month period. Based on the statistical data provided within the study, those individuals who accepted the plea deal offered by the state faced a far less severe punishment than those who opted to go to trial.