Whether or not defendants get death penalty is based on LOOKS, study suggests

Jurors take an oath to make rulings without bias or prejudice, but a new study suggests that promise is broken when the death penalty is on the table. Researchers from Columbia University on Thursday revealed that the shape of defendants' facial features affects whether they are sentenced to death or given life in prison. Hundreds of mugshots of Florida inmates who were convicted of murder were shown to a mock jury in the experiment. Certain facial features – such as downturned lips and heavy eyebrows – were judged to be more untrustworthy and more likely to be sentenced to death. Hundreds of mugshots of Florida inmates who were convicted of murder were shown to a mock jury in the experiment.