Does the Racial Makeup of the Defendant-Victim Relationship Affect Jury Decision-Making in Non-Violent Crimes?

Level of Education of Students Involved

Undergraduate

Faculty Sponsor

James Old

College

Arts and Sciences

Discipline(s)

Political Science, Psychology, Sociology

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-25-2024

Abstract

Previous literature suggests that a jury is more likely to convict black defendants and uphold harsher sentences in comparison to their white counterparts. This study aims to test whether or not that is true when the racial makeup of the defendant-victim relationship is considered in a non-violent crime. It is hypothesized that the defendant is more likely to receive not only a guilty verdict, but a harsher sentence when the race of the defendant differs- specifically when the defendant is black and the victim is white. Participants were split into two different groups and shown AI generated images of the defendant and victim and filled out a survey in which they were given supplied sentencing guidelines for this type of crime, and asked to recommend a sentence.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

Rylee is a senior Psychology and Political Science double major, who hopes to study Forensic Psychology at the Masters level. Rylee is a member of the Lab of Applied Forensic Psychology (LAFP) on campus, and enjoys studying criminal competency and risk assessment.

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