The Jaded Judge: How the Status and Sincerity of Repeat Offenders\u27 Apologies Impact Forgiveness

Apologies depend upon one\u27s sincere demeanor and another\u27s forgiveness. Varying defendants\u27 status and sincerity, and order of the justifications, we had participants watch five defendants, already on probation, justify their current offense. Results indicated both anticipated and surprising influences on forgiveness. As predicted, compared to pre-experimental session ratings, participants were more jaded about legal transgressions at the end of the experiment. However, during the experimental session, participants were more forgiving of the final defendant than the first. Additionally, the status and sincerity of the defendant impacted participants\u27 judgments of forgiveness