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Prior research has established a strong and enduring "racial divide" in support for capital punishment, but little research has explored the processes that explain the racial divide. Following the lead of Unnever and Cullen (Social Forces 85:1281-1301, 2007a, this research explores whether racist sentiment and core values (individualism, egalitarianism, symbolic patriotism, and authoritarianism) can partially explain the racial divide in public support for capital punishment. The findings suggest that racist sentiment by Whites and belief in core values by Whites partially explains the racial divide in support for capital punishment.

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The study tests the explicit and implicit racial/ethnic divide, gradient, and justice system contact propositions of comparative conflict theory and explores whether prior incarceration experience (personal and vicarious) alters the observed relationship between race/ethnicity and perceptions of injustice. The study uses data from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the Washington Post, and Harvard University 2006 survey concerning issues relating to African American males. The study found support for the racial/ethnic divide, gradient, and justice system contact hypotheses. The study also found support for the notion that prior incarceration experience intensifies the relationship between race/ethnicity and perceptions of injustice. The gap between African Americans and Whites in perceptions of injustice is more pronounced among persons with prior incarceration experience. The gap in perception of injustice between Whites and Hispanics was also stronger among those with prior incarceration experiences. The gap between African Americans and Hispanics was not impacted by prior incarceration experience. Future research should continue to explore the potential for prior incarceration experience to impact the relationship between race/ethnicity and perceptions of injustice.