This latest juicy tidbit I came across on Discover magazine made me chuckle a bit and then say to myself, “Oh my God, that makes so much sense.” A recent study has shown with overwhelming accuracy that judges with hungry bellies are far less likely to grant parole compared to full-bellied judges:
It’s the work of Shai Denzeger from Ben Gurion University of the Negev, and summarises the results of 1,112 parole board hearings in Israeli prisons, over a ten month period. It shows that the odds that prisoners will be successfully paroled start off fairly high at around 65% and quickly plummet to nothing over a few hours. After the judges have returned from their breaks, the odds abruptly climb back up to 65%, before resuming their downward slide. A prisoner’s fate could hinge upon the point in the day when their case is heard.
To read the full study just head over to Discover magazine.
