The erroneous belief that many criminals are acquitted on the basis of the insanity verdict is most likely due to

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The availability heuristic refers to the tendency to rely on readily available information, such as instances of high-profile cases in which a defendant was found not guilty by reason of insanity, to form beliefs about a larger population. Therefore, the erroneous belief that many criminals are acquitted on the basis of the insanity verdict is most likely due to the availability heuristic.

The Erroneous Belief That Many Criminals Are Acquitted on the Basis