Disentangling Identity: An Examination of Colorism and its Effects on Criminal Justice Experiences

• In Event: Emergent Issues in the Study of Racial and Gender Disparities in the Criminal Justice System

Abstract

As a correlate of crime, race is consistently identified as one of the strongest predictors of criminal justice system involvement. This is especially true for minority groups, though, little attention has been paid to the ways in which race has been measured. A majority of self-report surveys ask respondents to self-select a racial and/or ethnic identity, without focusing on the fact that perceived race may be more important in explanations of interactions with the criminal justice system. Utilizing the unique feature of race measurement in the NLYS97, (the interviewer records the race of the interviewee via the use of a “color card,” a gradient of skin-colors from 1-10), we seek to examine whether differences in arrest outcomes exist for individuals whose identity is related to interpretations of darkness or lightness of skin. Implications for the ways in which we measure and understand race will be discussed.

Authors

• Nadine M Connell, University of Texas at Dallas

• Nina Barbieri, University of Houston-Downtown