Color Blind? The Influence of Race on Perception of Crime Severity
1989; Howard University; Volume: 58; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/2295678
ISSN2167-6437
Autores Tópico(s)Crime Patterns and Interventions
ResumoIn recent years, public attention has been drawn to the issue of race as a causal factor in crime. Publicity surrounding both the Bernhard Goetz and Howard Beach cases, in which racial confrontations occurred, has focused attention on public perception of racial factors in the commission of crimes and on the role of race in the apprehension, questioning, and sentencing of criminals. Scholarly investigations have focused on the correlation between the judgment of guilt, length and severity of sentencing, and racial bias. One study found that Black murderers, particularly those who had killed Whites, were much more likely to receive the death penalty than White murderers.' When mock jurors were asked to determine guilt in a courtroom setting, the race of defendants and victims influenced juridic judgments.2 Other sociologists observed that Black offenders were more likely to receive a prison sentence and they were less likely to receive probation than their White counterparts.3 The treatment of criminals described above is the result of a juror's or judge's perception of race; thus, this research suggests that as the race of the participants in a crime vary, the perceptions individuals have toward that crime will vary as well. However, methodology influences results. Similar studies which
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