Decision making by parole interviewers: The effect of case and interview factors

R. Barry Ruback, Charles H. Hopper

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Nonverbal behavior of 103 inmates was coded during their parole interviews, and additional information was obtained from their case files. These data were related to interviewers' pre-and postinterview judgments of the inmates' likelihood of completing parole successfully and to interviewers' ratings of the inmates' honesty during the interview. Results showed that information obtained during the interview significantly affected the interviewers' postinterview judgments. Perceived honesty during the interview was affected significantly by the severity of the inmates' crime and by how much information the inmates' volunteered, how polite they were to the interviewers, and how much the inmates fidgeted during the interviews. Results suggest that the interviews did not improve, and may have lowered, interviewers' accuracy at predicting inmates' success on parole.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)203-214
Number of pages12
JournalLaw and human behavior
Volume10
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1986

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • General Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Law

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