Attributions for Blue‐Collar and White‐Collar Crime: The Effects of Subject and Defendant Race on Simulated Juror Decisions¹

Abstract

Ninety-six undergraduate and graduate students partiapated in a study that examined the effects of subject and defendant race on attributions made for a blue-collar (burglary) and a white-collar (embezzlement) crime. It was predicted that attributions for race stereotypic defendants (e.g., a white embezzler) would be internal (dqositional), that attributions for race nonstereotypic defendants (e.g., a black embezzler) would be external, and that attributions would be related to jail sentences. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive one of four crime descriptions that varied in terms of defendant race (black or white) and type of crime (burglary or embezzlement) committed. Subjects were subsequently asked to recommend jail sentences and to respond to items regarding the probable cause of the defendant's behavior. As predicted, race stereotypic crimes were perceived as being due to internal factors and the hypothesized relationship between attributions and jail sentences received partial support. The application of attributional models to the study of juror deasion-making is discussed.

Racial Bias in Decisions Made by Mock Jurors Evaluating a Case of Sexual Harassment

“…Their analysis did indicate (a) that Blacks received longer sentences than did Whites when the crime was homicide or rape and (b) that Whites received longer sentences than did Blacks when the crime was fraud. That result is similar to the one reported by Gordon (1990) and Gordon, Bindrim, McNicholas, and Walden (1988), who found (a) that Black burglars received longer sentences than did White burglars but (b) that White embezzlers received much longer sentences than did Black embezzlers. The preceding researchers concluded that defendants may receive longer sentences when they are convicted of crimes stereotypically associated with their race than when convicted of crimes not associated with their race.…”

The Role of Gender in Mental-Illness Stigma

“…In contrast, when the behavior is stereotypical, it tends to be attributed to personal traits of the actor, a pattern that enhances blame and stigmatization (Weiner, 1995). For example, Gordon (1990) found that when a Black American was accused of a white-collar crime (embezzlement), his behavior was commonly attributed to a situational cause, whereas when the same actor was said to have committed a blue-collar crime (burglary), it was attributed to dispositional causes; this attributional pattern reversed for White defendants. By this logic, individuals who display mental illness symptoms that are counterstereotypical with respect to their gender should be subject to reduced stigmatization, because their psychological problems will tend to be attributed to external circumstances or factors beyond their control.…”

An Attributional Analysis of Jurors' Judgments in a Criminal Case: A Preliminary Investigation

“…Since the trial involved the armed robbery of a store by a black defendant, it is possible that reliance on schema-based stereotypes may have led to the early assumption of guilt. Previous researchers have shown that the race of the defendant and the crime type can influence the decisions made by jurors (Gordon, 1990;McKelvie & Coley, 1993;Perez, Hosch, Ponder, & Trejo, 1993;Shaw & Skolnick, 1995). Future researchers will need to assess the aforementioned factor using a more complex design.…”