Race and justice in British Columbia, Canada: Explicit racism, implicit racism, and principled moral reasoning in judgments about perpetrators and victims

One hundred and twenty-one White participants made judgments about a hypothetical rape and murder scenario with race of perpetrator and victim systematically varied and completed the Defining Issues Test Version 2-Short Form (DIT2-SF). Independent variables were race of the accused and victim, depen...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Laird, Jordyn D. (Author) ; Laird, Philip G. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2025
In: Journal of ethnicity in criminal justice
Year: 2025, Volume: 23, Issue: 2, Pages: 97-117
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
Racism
Moral Reasoning
Indigenous
Crime
Black
Description
Summary:One hundred and twenty-one White participants made judgments about a hypothetical rape and murder scenario with race of perpetrator and victim systematically varied and completed the Defining Issues Test Version 2-Short Form (DIT2-SF). Independent variables were race of the accused and victim, dependent variables consisted of judgment about accused’s and victim’s behaviors, relative blameworthiness, and moral reasoning. White accused were judged more harshly than Black and Indigenous accused. Perpetrators of crimes against White victims were judged more harshly than perpetrators of crimes against Black and Indigenous victims. Participants who used more principled reasoning blamed victims less than those who employed less principled reasoning. Explicit and implicit racism and the role of principled moral reasoning are discussed.
ISSN:1537-7946
DOI:10.1080/15377938.2025.2468691