PSY 469

circumstances of the crime or aspects of the defendant that increase the seriousness of the crime or the culpability of the defendant... most commonly used in criminal sentencing or death penalty decision-making

the increase in the rate of murders in the weeks following an execution, in which the execution itself is believed to be the cause

during vior dire in capital cases, the process during which jurors answer a series of questions about their willingness to vote for a death sentence if the defendant is guilty

the use of special instructions and procedures to control the discretion of jurors in capital murder trials

circumstances surrounding a crime or characteristics of a criminal that lessen the degree of guilt or the severity of the crime.  These are relevant in criminal sentencing and death penalty decision-making

The second phase of a capital murder trial, during which jurors are asked to decide whether the defendant should be sentenced to life or death by execution