Perceptions of Drugs and Crime: The Roles of Race/Ethnicity and Symbolic Racism

• In Event: Race, Ethnicity, Age, and Sanctions: Disparate Sentencing and Biased Perceptions of Offenders

Abstract

Drugs and crime are at the forefront of the policy and criminal justice debate. The opioid crisis that is devastating parts of the country calls for more research regarding how the public feels this problem should be addressed. The current study uses a relatively diverse sample of approximately 900 undergraduate students from three, mid-sized universities in New England to explore how symbolic racism and race/ethnicity predict views on drug use and how drugs should be treated in the criminal justice system. Results from this study indicate that measures of bias and race/ethnicity of the respondents are significantly related to views on drugs, crime, and justice in nuanced and surprising ways. This research provides a unique and much-needed contribution to the literature. Implications and future directions of the study are discussed.

Author

• Forrest R Rodgers, Salem State University