Study: Mock trials can be alternative to revenge

NEW HAVEN — A person who is thinking about revenge against someone they believe has harmed them may be satisfied with a mock trial of their victimizer, according to a Yale University pilot study.

The idea of a mock trial was conceived by James Kimmel Jr., a lawyer, lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and co-author of the study, as a form of “motive control” that decreases the desire to retaliate, according to a Yale press release.

“A mock trial gives victims of perceived injustice a safe, socially accepted outlet for their feelings of rage and desire for revenge,” said Michael Rowe, professor of psychiatry at the Yale medical school and lead author of the study, in the release. “It also gives them a sense of empowerment and control, and the opportunity to explore the situation from different viewpoints and to evaluate the costs of retaliating.”

The authors argue that holding a mock trial may be a more politically acceptable way to reduce violence in the absence of stricter gun control laws.

In the study, 21 persons who had a strong desire to take revenge on someone were guided through a fictional trial of someone who had killed their dog.

Then, the roles were reversed and the vengeance-minded subjects were asked to imagine being tried after committing an act of revenge.

According to Kimmel, who was bullied in high school and considered revenge, “It’s very powerful. Revenge desires among study participants decreased significantly immediately after using the method and at two-week follow-up. Feelings of benevolence toward the offender increased. We were encouraged by the potency and durability of the effect,” according to the release.

“CDC and FBI data indicate that the primary motive behind most gun violence is the desire of shooters to retaliate for perceived injustices,” Kimmel said in the release. “Yet until now there have been no mental health strategies that specifically target revenge.”

The authors said they hope additional research will be undertaken and that health care providers, criminal justice personnel, schools and policymakers will use the approach. The study was published Dec. 19 in The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.