Do you know what determines whether a person gets a bail or not in a court of law?
Apparently, one of the things is whether the judge has had his or her breakfast or lunch!
Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will is a book by Robert Sapolsky about the question of free will mentions the famous study on judicial decisions.
The study known as the ‘lunchtime effect’ is a 2011 study on judicial decision-making (often referred to in behavioral economics), there is a significant, albeit unintentional, relationship between the timing of a bail hearing and the likelihood of bail being granted!
The Research indicates that judges are more likely to grant parole or bail at the beginning of the workday or immediately after a break (like lunch), while the likelihood of a favorable ruling drops significantly as the session progresses!
As judges hear more cases without a break, decision fatigue sets in!
They become more likely to choose the default, lower-effort decision, which is often to deny bail and keep the accused in custody (the “safe” option).
Now officially “Bail is the Rule, Jail is the Exception”: but despite legal principles stating that bail is a right and detention should be the exception, this psychological trend suggests that environmental factors (like hunger or fatigue) can influence the administration of justice!
So the optimal Timing is usually after a good lunch!
The study found that favorable decisions dropped from roughly 65% to nearly zero over the course of a session, returning to 65% immediately after a food break!
So you want to case to be in your favour then maybe send his or her favourite food to the judge!?
Of course, not committing the crime in the first place is also a good option!
You can instead be a good citizen and follow the law and you do not have to worry about court! Like Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw!
Now have dinner and sleep!
Shubh ratri…
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