The Moderating Effect of Race and Ethnicity on the Relationship Between Body Size and Criminal Sentencing

• In Event: Bias and Inequality in Sentencing

Abstract

Obesity is not only a health crisis but also causes individuals to face persistent prejudice and negative stereotypes about their body size. Specifically, Black and Latine populations experience greater rates of obesity than other racial and ethnic groups. Prior research on obesity, as well as on race and ethnicity, provide evidence of implicit discrimination against these individuals, however, how obesity and race and ethnicity impact outcomes in the criminal legal system remains unclear. The current study investigates whether defendant race and ethnicity moderate the relationship between body size (using BMI) and criminal sentencing outcomes. I draw on official court records from cases filed in a large southern county in the United States between January 1st, 2016, and December 31st, 2022, and analyze the data with split models by race and ethnicity using logistic and OLS regression. Results suggest that race and ethnicity moderate this relationship. The implications of these findings and avenues for future research will also be discussed.

Author

• Kelsey L. Kramer, Bates College