The current Scottish verdict system includes three verdicts: ‘guilty’, ‘not guilty’ and ‘not proven’. The Scottish Government are currently reviewing the utility of the not proven verdict. Proponents of the not proven verdict suggest that it directs jurors to their true role of determining whether the prosecution's case has, or has not, been ‘proven’. Reformists suggest a move to a system similar to England and Wales, with only guilty and not guilty verdicts. However, legal professionals have indicated a preference for an alternative system of proven and not proven. The aim of the current study was to test the effects of a proven and not proven system on verdicts given, when compared to alternative verdict systems (specifically, the current Scottish and Anglo-American verdict systems). 227 mock jurors watched a staged murder trial, filmed in a real-life courtroom, with legal professionals questioning witnesses and a judge giving legal direction. Jurors were significantly more likely to convict in a guilty and not guilty verdict system than either a proven and not proven or a guilty, not guilty and not proven verdict system. Future research should replicate this study with a focus on the impact of the not proven verdict in sexual offences.

中文翻译：

---

已证明和未证明：当前苏格兰判决系统的潜在替代方案

目前苏格兰的判决制度包括三种判决：“有罪”、“无罪”和“未证明”。苏格兰政府目前正在审查未经证实的判决的效用。未经证实的判决的支持者认为，它指导陪审员确定检方的案件是否“得到证实”的真正作用。改革派建议转向类似于英格兰和威尔士的制度，只有有罪和无罪判决。然而，法律专业人士表示，他们更倾向于采用经过验证和未经验证的替代系统。当前研究的目的是测试经过验证和未经验证的系统对给定判决的影响，与替代判决系统（特别是当前的苏格兰和英美判决系统）相比。227名模拟陪审员观看了一场分阶段的谋杀案审判，在真实的法庭上拍摄，法律专业人士向证人提问，法官给出法律指导。陪审员在有罪和无罪判决系统中比在已证明和未证明或有罪、无罪和未证明判决系统中定罪的可能性要大得多。未来的研究应该复制这项研究，重点关注未经证实的判决对性犯罪的影响。