Cumulative Colorism in Criminal Courts

A growing literature documents skin color stratification in punishment, whereby darker-skinned individuals fare worse than their lighter-skinned counterparts. Virtually all of this research has focused on colorism operating through direct channels. Utilizing a novel dataset linking the mugshots and court records of 6931 felony defendants from Miami-Dade County (Florida) from 2012 to 2015, we show that colorism in punishment, particularly for Hispanics, operates through indirect mechanisms - in addition to direct channels. We argue that colorism in punishment is sustained through a cumulative (dis)advantage process, highlighting how skin color stratification is institutionalized in the criminal justice system.

Automated summary

This article explores the stratification of punishment based on skin color and proposes indirect mechanisms. The study finds that colorism in punishment, especially for Hispanics, operates through a cumulative process and is institutionalized in the criminal justice system.