Stereotypic Crimes: How Group-Crime Associations Affect Memory and (Sometimes) Verdicts and Sentencing

Stereotype-based judgments in the legal system can be particularly damaging. In Experiment 1, we 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 ag...

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Published in:Victims & offenders Vol. 8; no. 3; pp. 278 - 307
Main Authors: Skorinko, Jeanine L., Spellman, Barbara A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Philadelphia Routledge 01-07-2013
Taylor & Francis Ltd
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Summary:Stereotype-based judgments in the legal system can be particularly damaging. In Experiment 1, we 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. We used these results to create crime scenarios for Experiments 2 and 3 that unconfounded crime stereotypicality and crime violence. We 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.
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ISSN:1556-4886
1556-4991
DOI:10.1080/15564886.2012.755140