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The judicial superego: Implicit egoism, internalized racism, and prejudice in three million sentencing decisions

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  • Daniel L. Chen

    (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, IAST - Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse)

Abstract

I document implicit egoism across 3 million sentencing decisions. In administrative data from the U.S. New Orleans District Attorney's office for 1988–1999 and Chile for 2014–2019, sentences are 8% longer and 2% longer, respectively, when the judge and defendant's first initials match. Name letter effects measure implicit self-esteem. Faced with ego threat, high self-esteem individuals punish negatively valenced targets as self-regulation. In New Orleans, effects are larger for Black defendants labeled by police as "N" rather than "B." Consistent with recent theoretical models, Black–White sentence differences double for egoist judges, and this effect is especially pronounced among Black judges.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel L. Chen, 2024. "The judicial superego: Implicit egoism, internalized racism, and prejudice in three million sentencing decisions," Post-Print hal-04869560, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04869560
    DOI: 10.1111/kykl.12400
    as

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