Acquaintance Rape: The Effect of Race of Defendant and Race of Victim on White Juror Decisions

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Racial bias appears to lead jurors in trials of stranger rape to convict Black defendants more readily and to sentence them more harshly than White defendants. It was hypothesized that jurors in an acquaintance rape case would demonstrate a different pattern of bias, based not only on the race of the defendant but also on the racial nature of the defendant-victim relationship. White American undergraduates read a trial transcript that established defendant-victim familiarity and sexual contact but was ambiguous about the victim's consent. Race of defendant and of victim (Black or White) were varied on a 2 x 2 design. The participants were asked to rate the guilt of the defendant and to recommend a sentence. Both Black and White defendants were rated as more guilty when the victim's race differed from their own.