Assess The Factors That Influence Judicial Decision Making

In a perfect world, judicial decision- making would only be influenced by the law. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Outside factors that motivates personal biases also contribute to a judge’s decision. For one, a judge is influenced by their attitudes and ideologies. Research suggests that a judge’s decision has almost a perfect correlation with their beliefs and ideologies, which are shaped by public opinion. If the public believes a defendant is guilty of murder, for example, and should not be shown any sympathy, the judge is more likely to find the defendant guilty and impose a life sentence or even the death penalty. Another factor that influences decision-making is the judge’s demographic characteristics, such as race and sex. Some studies conclude that
If the public becomes interested in a criminal case, a judge could be tempted to ignore the facts of a case and deliver a verdict or sentence that favors the public’s opinion. This could mean that an innocent individual is convicted of a crime that he or she did not commit. This was the case in Echols v. State of Arkansas, one of the members of the West Memphis Three. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death, but was released after eighteen years when compelling evidence suggested he was in fact innocent. To prevent this, public opinion should not influence a judge’s deliberation in criminal cases. Public opinion should influence an appellate court judges’ decision to review criminal cases, because if a number of people believe that an innocent individual has been convicted of a crime, there is reason to believe that this might have occurred. Although public opinion should affect the decision to review a case, it should not affect the judge’s decision as to whether or not the conviction should be overturned. The only influential factors that should be considered during deliberation are the facts of the case and the