A Legacy of Lynchings: Perceived Black Criminal Threat Among Whites

This article examines the legacy of lynchings on contemporary whites' views of blacks as criminal threats. To this end, it draws on prior literature on racial animus to demonstrate the sustained influence of lynching on contemporary America. We hypothesize that one long-standing legacy of lynch...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Law & society review 2019-06, Vol.53 (2), p.487-517
Main Authors: Mears, Daniel P., Warren, Patricia Y., Arnio, Ashley N., Stewart, Eric A., Craig, Miltonette O.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Black people
Conservatism
Crime prevention
Criminal sentences
Criminology
Ethnicity
Faulkner, William (1897-1962)
Handbooks
Lynchings
Offenders
Punishment
Race relations
Society
Sociology
Theory
Threats
Violence
White people
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Summary:This article examines the legacy of lynchings on contemporary whites' views of blacks as criminal threats. To this end, it draws on prior literature on racial animus to demonstrate the sustained influence of lynching on contemporary America. We hypothesize that one long-standing legacy of lynchings is its influence in shaping views about blacks as criminals and, in particular, as a group that poses a criminal threat to whites. In addition, we hypothesize that this effect will be greater among whites who live in areas in America where socioeconomic disadvantage and political conservatism are greater. Results of multilevel analyses of lynching and survey data on whites' views toward blacks support the hypotheses. In turn, they underscore the salience of understanding historical forces, including the legacy of lynchings that influence contemporary views of blacks, criminals, and punishment policies.
ISSN:0023-9216
1540-5893
DOI:10.1111/lasr.12396