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Black and white differences in the perception of justice
Author(s) -
Wiley Deane C.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
behavioral sciences and the law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.649
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1099-0798
pISSN - 0735-3936
DOI - 10.1002/bsl.463
Subject(s) - white (mutation) , perception , poison control , economic justice , human factors and ergonomics , suicide prevention , occupational safety and health , injury prevention , psychology , social psychology , computer security , computer science , medicine , medical emergency , political science , biology , biochemistry , neuroscience , law , pathology , gene
This study examined how African Americans and Whites view the justice system in the United States. Three hundred and eighteen research participants were recruited from the campus of a local community college. The research participants viewed one of four different videotaped scenarios depicting an interaction between a police officer and a motorist. The scenes were identical except that the race of the motorist and the officer were varied. After viewing the videotaped scenario, the research participants were asked to rate the interaction. The results indicated that African Americans and Whites view the delivery of justice very differently. African Americans judged the police officers to be less impartial and more prejudiced than Whites. It will be useful to further explore these issues to better understand the potential impact of these negative feelings on important justice matters. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.