How negative stereotypes about poor black youth may be leading to stiffer juvenile court sanctions

Abstract

While the US court system has begun to favor rehabilitation over harsh sentences in recent years, questions continue as to whether or not these changes have applied evenly across races. In new research, Patrick Lowery looks at juvenile sentencing data in South Carolina. He finds that while race alone does not significantly predict harsher punishments, black defendants from more disadvantaged backgrounds were likely to be punished more harshly via secure confinement, unless the judges were from a minority background.