Using Factorial Vignettes to Study the Influence of Physical Appearance

Panelists will focus on the relationship between (1) physical appearance and crime victimization and (2) appearance and crime. The first paper will cover social control responses to criminal defendants as based on their physical attributes as well as the nature of their crimes. The second paper considers the manner in which crime victims are perceived as victims or not-victims as well as a number of other victim-related issues such as deservingness, as evidenced by law enforcement and court decisions. The third paper employs a quasi-experimental factorial survey to examine the relationship between appearance and victimhood; particularly, juror’s judgments of guilt and innocence in cases of domestic assault. The fourth paper addresses appearance as it relates to arrests of juvenile offenders and as it affects crime victimization of juveniles. Logistic regression analyses show that appearance affects both, the arrests and the victimizations of a juvenile sample. Finally, the discussant offers a view of the extent to which forensic examinations identification of anogenital injuries are influenced by variations in the victims’ skin color; thus bringing forth the significant question of how race and ethnicity influence health care and criminal justice disparities in cases of sexual assault.