The Unjust Plight of Minority Men and Punishment: A Du Boisian Analysis

In many of his writings, W. E. B. Du Bois discussed race, crime, and justice. However, his contributions are rarely applied to criminological research. Du Bois’ research highlighted the discrimination encountered by Blacks in the justice system and emphasized the disparities in punishment based on crime types. Prior research suggests that minorities receive more punitive sentencing outcomes than others, net of legally relevant factors. Despite this, few studies have examined the extent of disparities resulting from the combined effects of status characteristics across different contexts and offense categories. Through a Du Boisian lens of a “double system of justice,” this study seeks to explore if minority men are sentenced more punitively across racial/ethnic contexts among specific types of offenses. To test these propositions, the current study will use data from the 2010–2017 Florida Sentencing Guidelines and county-level data from the 2000–2010 United States Census. The findings reveal that minority men receive more punitive punishments across some offense types, and minority threat produces differential sentencing outcomes for some. Overall, this study highlights the importance of utilizing Du Bois’ work as a conceptual framework in criminological research by incorporating macro-social and combined demographic measures to assess the experiences of minorities within the justice system.