Perceptions of Anti-Black Bias in the Criminal Justice System Contribute to Pro-Black (Versus White) Bias in Criminal Justice Research

Abstract

Black Americans experience more frequent guilty verdicts and harsher sentences in the criminal justice system. However, recent laboratory work often finds either trivial differences or a pro-Black bias where people provide more lenient verdicts for Black versus White defendants. Across five studies, we find a consistent pro-Black bias even after reducing social desirability concerns. Instead, the pro-Black bias results from a negative relationship between perceived anti-Black criminal justice bias and the Black suspect’s verdict. The current work shows the pro-Black bias as a consequence of the newly salient perception of racial bias in the criminal justice system. Consequently, as people’s perceptions of racial disparities in the criminal justice system increase, this in-lab effect may manifest in real-world criminal justice outcomes.