Wpływ efektu aureoli na oceny czynów przestępczych oraz związanych z nimi osób
The impact of the halo effect on the assessment of criminal acts and individuals involved in them

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this article is to present the impact of the halo effect on the assessment of criminal acts, as well as suspects, defendants, convicts and victims, made by society and representatives of institutions responsible for responding to them. The discussion of the aforementioned issue began with outlining the origin, mechanisms of action and features leading to the emergence of the discussed cognitive error in the light of recent psychological knowledge. Thereafter, an analysis of research on potential cognitive misconceptions in the assessment of criminal acts and sentencing was carried out. The theoretical part was concluded with a description of proposed explanations of the use of non-legal factors in submitted scope. The article was also enriched by the case studies conducted on three selected criminal cases regarding to which it may be suspected that the halo effect occurred. These are the cases of Cameron Coyle Herrin, Debra Jean Lafave and Magdalena Renata Kralka.

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