NCJ Number
243575
Journal
Victims & Offenders Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Dated: July - September 2013 Pages: 278-307
Date Published
July 2013
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This study examined stereotype-based judgments in the legal system.
Abstract
Stereotype-based judgments in the legal system can be particularly damaging. In experiment 1, the authors surveyed 179 participants to assess which of 55 crimes they viewed as stereotypical of 13 groups of people. Stereotypic crimes based on ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and age were found. The authors used these results to create crime scenarios for experiments 2 and 3 that unconfounded crime stereotypicality and crime violence. The authors then examined the effects of stereotypic crimes with Black or White defendants on mock jurors' memories and decisions. Memory biases were found in line with the stereotypic crimes. Offenders' verdicts and sentences were sometimes biased by stereotypic crimes. By unconfounding crime stereotypicality and violence, the results also demonstrate how violence influences biases in memories and decisions. Abstract published by arrangement with Taylor and Francis.