Are We Giving Them a Fair Chance? Racial Stereotypes and the Juvenile Justice System

Prior research indicates that there are racial disparities throughout the criminal justice system and that decision-makers may use stereotypes when determining guilt and deciding on sentences for juveniles. This study looked at sentence disparities between White and Latinx juveniles, as well as potential stereotypes that could be used in decision-making. There were no differences in sentence length and severity between the White and Latinx offender. Additionally, the likelihood of the offender receiving a lesser or greater sentence as an adult did not differ among conditions. Our results also showed that participants with prior juror experience used less stereotypical language in their sentence explanations. This research highlights the presence of sentence disparities in prior studies and generates avenues for future research