Mock juror decision-making and the intersectionality of race and gender in a case of intimate partner violence

In the United States, female racial and ethnic minorities experience intimate partner violence at disproportionally higher rates than their White counterparts and are more likely to be involved with the criminal legal system. However, to date, most research examining intimate partner violence and juror decision-making has failed to consider the intersectionality of race and gender. The current study applied an intersectional approach in the examination of mock juror decision-making in a case of alleged intimate partner violence. Adult participants recruited online through a crowdsource platform read a vignette outlining a case of alleged intimate partner violence and responded to questions regarding their perceptions of the crime, defendant, and victim. Participants were randomised into one of four groups, between which the race of the defendant/victim dyad in the vignette were manipulated (Black Defendant/Black Victim, Black Defendant/White Victim, White Defendant/Black Victim, and White Defendant/White Victim). Statistical analyses testing a moderated moderation model indicate no impact of victim race, mock juror race, or mock juror gender on perceptions of defendant guilt or seriousness of the offence.