NCJ Number
143560
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1992) Pages: 686-701
Date Published
1992
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Contrasting views regarding the question of whether race shapes public attitudes toward the criminal justice system were examined using data from telephone interviews of residents of nine communities in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Abstract
The neighborhoods included three composed mainly of blacks, three predominantly white, and three racially mixed. Interviews were completed with 103 African-Americans and 136 whites. Results revealed that race was significantly related to criminal justice ideology. Blacks were more likely than whites to see injustices within society and in the criminal justice system and were thus more likely to support a liberal ideology. In addition, racial differences were observed when controls were introduced for general political ideology, crime experiences, contact with the criminal justice system, and neighborhood conditions. Results supported the conflict perspective of the criminal justice system. Tables and 38 references (Author abstract modified)