Race of Perpetrator and Perception of Criminal Behavior
Rhandall Almonacy
Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation
College: College of Liberal Arts
Major: Psychology
Faculty Research Mentor: Verneda Hamm-Baugh
Abstract:
In the United States certain races often receive differential treatment. News outlets often portray a criminal that comes from some ethnic backgrounds differently compared to another criminal with a different background, even though both may have committed the exact same crime. Stories that are about violent crimes are often broadcast to grab the attention of viewers, and often repeatedly show the same race of criminal committing a violent crime. This can leave a biased impression about that race. Even in TV shows and movies, non-whites are often portrayed in stereotypical roles or in a violent role, while whites are often the victim or the protagonist. This disproportionate portrayal of races, in tandem with the criminal justice system, may lead to people developing a biased perspective linking certain races with certain crimes. The present study was designed to determine whether race influences the perception of criminal behavior. Participants read a scenario in which a police officer accidentally mixed up the description of criminals of different races and the crimes they committed. The description of the criminals was the same except that one was White, one was Black, and one was Asian. The crimes were embezzlement, drug possession, and assault with a weapon. Participants were asked to match each criminal with the crime they perceived them to have committed. It was hypothesized that participants would link certain races with certain crimes rather than randomly.