Sexual Orientation and Criminal Justice:How Sexual Minorities Perceive the Harshness of Criminal Courts

• In Event: 306 - Section on Sociology of Sexualities Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 13. Sexual Regulation

Abstract

In this article, I draw upon General Social Survey data from 1993-2012 to examine whether sexual minority status affects perceptions of the harshness of criminal courts. Although the experiences of sexual minorities with crime, police, and the criminal justice system have been explored by other scholars, there has been less attention paid to how sexual minorities perceive the criminal system. In some respects, their experiences as a criminalized minority mirror those of African Americans and, accordingly, one might expect a similar perception regarding the harshness of the criminal courts. Nonetheless, their role as a less visible minority with a unique sociohistorical relationship with the legal system could produce a differing impression of the criminal courts. Findings indicate that interactions between sex and sexual orientation produce differing perceptions regarding the efficacy of criminal courts in dealing with criminals, with sexual minority men and women being less likely than heterosexual women to indicate that courts are not harsh enough on criminals. The results suggest that sexual minorities’ views of the criminal justice system could be shaped by their experiences with legal actors and institutions.

Author

• Amanda Kathleen Baumle, University of Houston