Effect of real-name reporting of specified juvenile on Schadenfreude and sentencing

Abstract

The 2021 amendment to the Juvenile Law legalized real-name reporting of 18- and 19-year-olds, also known as “specified juveniles,” during the sentencing phase. This allows for the real names of these juveniles to be made public. This study explores the relationship between real-name reporting and sentencing, focusing on the experience of Schadenfreude (SF) among the public. SF refers to the pleasure that some people may experience when witnessing the suffering of others. The mediation model was examined using the scenarios of forcible sexual intercourse and damage to property. The study’s findings were based on responses from 964 participants. The results revealed that those who read the forcible sexual intercourse scenario and believed that real-name reporting was deserving, experienced greater levels of SF, leading to longer sentence recommendations for the offender. Conversely, no significant effect of SF on sentencing was seen among respondents who read the damage to property scenario. Thus, the differences in the results of forcible sexual intercourse and damage-to-property scenarios were discussed in terms of seriousness.