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Retracted: A Legacy of Lynchings: Perceived Black Criminal Threat Among Whites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Daniel P. Mears ,
Eric A. Stewart ,
Patricia Y. Warren ,
Miltonette O. Craig  and
Ashley N. Arnio
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Abstract

This article examines the legacy of lynchings on contemporary whites' views of blacks as criminal threats. To this end, it draws on prior literature on racial animus to demonstrate the sustained influence of lynching on contemporary America. We hypothesize that one long-standing legacy of lynchings is its influence in shaping views about blacks as criminals and, in particular, as a group that poses a criminal threat to whites. In addition, we hypothesize that this effect will be greater among whites who live in areas in America where socioeconomic disadvantage and political conservatism are greater. Results of multilevel analyses of lynching and survey data on whites' views toward blacks support the hypotheses. In turn, they underscore the salience of understanding historical forces, including the legacy of lynchings that influence contemporary views of blacks, criminals, and punishment policies.

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Law & Society Review , Volume 53 , Issue 2 , June 2019 , pp. 487 - 517
Copyright
© 2019 Law and Society Association.

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Footnotes

The authors thank Stewart Tolnay, E. M. Beck, and Amy Bailey for sharing updated data on southern lynchings. The authors also thank the editors and anonymous reviewers for thoughtful guidance in improving the paper.

Following the initial online publication on January 25, 2019, the authors identified a coding error. The authors have corrected the error and updated all of the tables and figures, as well as the accompanying discussion in the data and methods section, findings section, and associated footnotes. The substantive results, findings, and conclusion remain the same.

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A correction has been issued for this article:

Retraction