More Than Skin Deep? The Effect of Visible Tattoos on the Perceived Characteristics of a Rape Victim

The present experiment examined whether negative tattoo stereotypes would cause negative judgments about a rape victim. Mock jurors (N = 174) read an acquaintance rape trial summary online and viewed a photo depicting the alleged victim with a feminine (flower), neutral (script), or no tattoo. They...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wasarhaley, Nesa E. (Author)
Contributors: Vilk, Rebecca F.
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
In: Women & criminal justice
Year: 2020, Volume: 30, Issue: 2, Pages: 106-125
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
Juries
Rape
Stereotypes
Tattoos
victim blame
Description
Summary:The present experiment examined whether negative tattoo stereotypes would cause negative judgments about a rape victim. Mock jurors (N = 174) read an acquaintance rape trial summary online and viewed a photo depicting the alleged victim with a feminine (flower), neutral (script), or no tattoo. They rendered verdicts and rated the victim on various attributes (e.g., credibility). Overall, participant gender was the strongest predictor of trial judgments and ratings of victim attributes. Additionally, participants blamed a victim with a flower tattoo less (vs. script), which increased guilty verdicts in this condition. Results are discussed with regard to the effect of extra-legal factors on rape judgments.
ISSN:1541-0323
DOI:10.1080/08974454.2019.1613283