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Untrustworthy faces incur negative judgments across numerous domains. Existing work in this area has focused on situations in which the target's trustworthiness is relevant to the judgment (e.g., criminal verdicts and economic games). Yet in the present studies, we found that people also overgeneralized trustworthiness in criminal-sentencing decisions when trustworthiness should not be judicially relevant, and they did so even for the most extreme sentencing decision: condemning someone to death. In Study 1, we found that perceptions of untrustworthiness predicted death sentences (vs. life sentences) for convicted murderers in Florida (N = 742). Moreover, in Study 2, we found that the link between trustworthiness and the death sentence occurred even when participants viewed innocent people who had been exonerated after originally being sentenced to death. These results highlight the power of facial appearance to prejudice perceivers and affect life outcomes even to the point of execution, which suggests an alarming bias in the criminal-justice system.

Purpose: The central purpose of the research is to explore and determine how the intestate succession process influences legal security in Peruvian notaries' offices. Although the theoretical framework is not explicitly stated, it can be inferred that it focuses on notarial management, legality, and legal security, as well as the intersection of technology and data science with law.   Theoretical framework: The importance of notarial management, legality and legal certainty in intestate succession proceedings is mentioned, as well as the relevance of technology and data science in the legal field.   Design / methodology / approach: In terms of design and methodology, the research is applied and has been carried out through a non-experimental design, specifically cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational. A total of 30 lawyers have been surveyed, exploring the variables intestate succession process and legal certainty.   Results: The results indicate that both variables are regular, with 63% each, and a strong positive correlation between them was identified, with a Spearman's Rho of 81.5% and a p-value of 0.001, which allows us to accept the alternative hypothesis.   Research, practical and social implications: From a practical and social perspective, the research underlines the critical importance of meticulous and efficient notarial management, which not only protects clients' rights, but also ensures fair redress in case of inconvenience, weaving a blanket of legal security around all parties involved. We envision a future in which technology and data science intertwine with law, creating predictive models and automated systems that optimize notarial processes and anticipate potential problems in probate proceedings.   Originality / value: In terms of originality and value, the research stands out not only for illuminating the correlation between intestate succession procedures and legal certainty, but also for highlighting the need for meticulous and efficient notarial management. Moreover, it opens a window to a horizon where technology and data science merge with law, and where academia becomes a melting pot for future legal professionals, linking academic knowledge with society through didactic material and online learning platforms, illuminating the nooks and crannies of probate law and empowering the public.

The two studies reported here demonstrated that a combination of anger and disgust predicts moral outrage. In Study 1, anger toward moral transgressions (sexual assault, funeral picketing) predicted moral outrage only when it co-occurred with at least moderate disgust, and disgust predicted moral outrage only when it co-occurred with at least moderate anger. In Study 2, a mock-jury paradigm that included emotionally disturbing photographs of a murder victim revealed that, compared to anger, disgust was a more consistent predictor of moral outrage (i.e., it predicted moral outrage at all levels of anger). Furthermore, moral outrage mediated the effect of participants' anger on their confidence in a guilty verdict—but only when anger co-occurred with at least a moderate level of disgust—whereas moral outrage mediated the effect of participants' disgust on their verdict confidence at all levels of anger. The interactive effect of anger and disgust has important implications for theoretical explanations of moral outrage, moral judgments in general, and legal decision making.

Mobile health (“mHealth”) is the use of portable devices such as smartphones and tablets to improve health. This report discusses the public health benefits and risks of mHealth and the challenges facing the FDA in regulating this technology. Medicine may stand at the cusp of a mobile transformation. Mobile health, or “mHealth,” is the use of portable devices such as smartphones and tablets for medical purposes, including diagnosis, treatment, or support of general health and well-being. Users can interface with mobile devices through software applications (“apps”) that typically gather input from interactive questionnaires, separate medical devices connected to the mobile device, or functionalities of the device itself, such as its camera, motion sensor, or microphone. Apps may even process these data with the use of medical algorithms or calculators to generate customized diagnoses and treatment recommendations. Mobile devices . . .

Sexual assault victims who report to the police experience posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) and other psychological consequences. However, these consequences appear to vary according to the main legal stages (reporting, charging, plea, testimony, verdict, sentencing), yet the literature lacks a comprehensive review of the consequences throughout legal proceedings. This review aimed to identify the extent of PTS symptoms and psychological consequences among sexual assault victims resulting from legal proceedings and organize the findings among legal stages. A systematic search was conducted to identify relevant literature. Twenty-four peer-reviewed articles and four doctoral theses were included. Data were systematically extracted and classified under the corresponding legal stage. Findings showed increases of PTS symptoms as soon as the complaint was filed when victims faced negative reactions from police officers. The decision to lay charges and its justification impacted victims. Testifying appeared distressing and was associated with reliving the assault and anxiety. At the end of trial, a guilty verdict provided a sense of validation, while not guilty verdicts resulted in anger and self-blame. Lenient sentences made victims feel disbelieved. Positive psychological outcomes were reported at each stage, notably feeling believed and empowered. Sexual assault victims face PTS symptoms and other psychological outcomes throughout the legal proceedings, but the source and nature of symptoms vary according to the stage experienced. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

IntroductionThis article addresses the processes that led to the recognition of LGBT rights in Brazil, the role played by civil society mobilization, and the interaction between the Federal Supreme Court and the National Congress in these processes.MethodsThe study’s primary method is document analysis. Our sample was established in 2021 and includes four court decisions and 93 law proposals presented from 2011 to 2020 by 83 legislators whose profiles are also analysed (data collected in 2021). Moreover, the article references secondary source interviews conducted in 2017 and 2018.ResultsThe Federal Supreme Court was responsible for all the LGBT rights recognized at the federal level in Brazil. Our data shows that federal legislators, on the other hand, have been unable to make bills focused on LGBT rights (pro or against) pass. Some highlights from the results show that 46.2% of the proposals on the matter are contrary to those rights, and 48.2% of the legislators who mobilize the matter are affiliated with the Evangelical Bench, an influential conservative institution in the Brazilian National Congress. Although not yet able to make law proposals pass, those legislators with a conservative profile tend to use LGBT rights as political currency by presenting bills or making speeches against these rights. They also play a role in not allowing pro-LGBT rights achievements in the legislative arena. Aware of the legislators’ profile, civil society organizations tend not to focus all their efforts on this arena and to take or create legal opportunities, even though the path through courts still represents several obstacles. Moreover, although the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court has shown a willingness to decide on LGBT rights, the outcomes of the rulings depend on the composition of the body, which is influenced by nominations made by the president. That is, the same court Brazil has relied on to recognize LGBT rights could be responsible for denying them had it had the same powers but different members.ConclusionsWhile the deadlock in the Federal Congress persists, and the judicial decisions that recognized LGBT rights remain effective, LGBT persons continue to exercise their conquered rights. However, the conservative wave in Brazil places the country in a context of uncertainty and vulnerability with regard to LGBT rights.Policy ImplicationsThis study’s contribution lies in showing why Brazil is an unpaired case when it comes to LGBT rights recognition and how vulnerable these conquered rights are in the country. The article provides an overview of the recognition processes taking multiple arenas and actors into account. Therefore, the analyses and the database of law proposals fill a gap in the literature and can contribute to future work from both scholars (for example, other studies from the database) and practitioners (for example, the development of legal mobilization frames and strategies).

Basic psychology research suggests the possibility that confessions—a potent form of incrimination—may taint other evidence, thereby creating an appearance of corroboration. To determine if this laboratory-based phenomenon is supported in the high-stakes world of actual cases, we conducted an archival analysis of DNA exoneration cases from the Innocence Project case files. Results were consistent with the corruption hypothesis: Multiple evidence errors were significantly more likely to exist in false-confession cases than in eyewitness cases; in order of frequency, false confessions were accompanied by invalid or improper forensic science, eyewitness identifications, and snitches and informants; and in cases containing multiple errors, confessions were most likely to have been obtained first. We believe that these findings underestimate the problem and have important implications for the law concerning pretrial corroboration requirements and the principle of \"harmless error\" on appeal.

The encounter between torture victims and the legal system is mostly dismissive. Thus, victims have repeatedly submitted complaints regarding alleged torture to the relevant authorities, but these cases are often rejected. A common reason for rejection is the inconsistency within and between testimonies, which can give the impression that the victim is fabricating the story and then undermines the legal case. This paper reviews the reasons that could explain the disparities in the testimonies of torture survivors. It relates to six facets that, taken together, increase the likelihood of inconsistency: (a) detention and interrogation, (b) flaws in normal memory, (c) psychological processes, (d) physical/medical aspects, (e) sociocultural factors, and (f) interview barriers. Examples are provided for each of these reasons for the discrepancy in testimonies. A discussion of the relevance in the field of psychological injury follows this. The study provides recommendations for legal and medical experts working with torture and other traumatized victims regarding the use of the Istanbul Protocol, collaboration, and education to enhance understanding, clarify inconsistencies in testimonies, and support cases in court.

People attribute minds to other individuals and make inferences about those individuals' mental states to explain and predict their behavior. Little is known, however, about whether people also attribute minds to groups and believe that collectives, companies, and corporations can think, have intentions, and make plans. Even less is known about the consequences of these attributions for both groups and group members. We investigated the attribution of mind and responsibility to groups and group members, and we demonstrated that people make a trade-off: The more a group is attributed a group mind, the less members of that group are attributed individual minds. Groups that are judged to have more group mind are also judged to be more cohesive and responsible for their collective actions. These findings have important implications for how people perceive the minds of groups and group members, and for how attributions of mind influence attributions of responsibility to groups and group members.

•The Prosecution Service found a forensic exam of the victim important for the legal process in 49% of cases of sexual assault.•A forensic examination of the perpetrator is associated with laying of charges and a guilty verdict.•The prosecution was more often aided by the forensic exam in cases of ‘conflicting explanations’, uncooperative victim or perpetrator denial.•The prosecution services’ use of a forensic exam of victim and perpetrator has been more frequent in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the forensic clinical examination in the judicial assessment made by the Prosecution Service in cases of rape. All cases of police-reported sexual assault in the county of Funen, Denmark in a six-year period were reviewed, and the retrospective data was collected. Cases in which a forensic clinical examination was performed were included. The Prosecution Service in the county of Funen received 348 police-reported rape cases and of these 184 cases were included. The Prosecution Service stated that the forensic clinical examination (FCE) was important for the decision-making process in approximately half of the cases. The Prosecution Service finding an FCE important due to the presence of relevant findings was significantly associated with the case going to trial, whereas importance due to absence of relevant findings was significantly associated with the cases not going to trial. The only single factor associated with a case going to court and a guilty verdict was an FCE of the alleged perpetrator. There were no crude associations between any other factors i.e. the type of assault, victim injuries or alcohol consumption. In a logistic regression model, however, it was significantly more likely (p < 0.05) that a forensic clinical examination of the victim was used in the Prosecution Service’s decision if there were both anogenital and extra-genital injuries documented, that could originate from the alleged crime. The odds were 7.83 times higher compared to if no injuries were detected. The Prosecution Service’s use of the clinical examination in their argumentation of the decision of a rape complaint has been significantly increasing from 2003 to 2015. The results of the first in-depth analysis of the overall importance of a forensic clinical examination in cases of rape and sexual assault shows that we need to continuously focus on the documentation of sexual assault, as documentation is part of the decision-making process at all stages of the judicial process.