Abstract
Physical appearance (i.e., attractiveness) serves as a form of social capital that influences power dynamics in various social settings, including the criminal justice system. Research has demonstrated the physical appearance of offenders influences perceptions of guilt and innocence, sentencing decisions, and the magnitude of punitive damages in criminal and civil trial decisions. Little is understood about how the physical appearance of victims affects policing and court decisions. The purposes of this presentation are to describe: (1) what is known about physical appearance from a criminological context and (2) what is needed with regard to understanding how victim appearance influences criminal justice processing. We conclude by positing a theoretical framework to guide future research questions.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| State | Published - Nov 14 2012 |
| Event | Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology - Chicago, IL Duration: Nov 15 2012 → … |
Conference
| Conference | Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology |
|---|---|
| Period | 11/15/12 → … |
Disciplines
- Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Criminology
Keywords
- Criminology
- Physical appearance
- Physical appearance and victimization
- Victimization
