Art or Confession

Evaluating Rap Lyrics as Evidence in Criminal Cases

Bibliographic Data

ID2415479
AuthorsAdam Dunbar (0000-0002-1560-104X)
Year2020
Volume10
Issue3
Pages320-340
Publication date2020-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRace and Justice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2153-3687 • E-ISSN: 2153-3687
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/2153368717749879
OpenAlexW2793241966
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited54

For decades, scholars have studied mechanisms that might explain racial disparities in the criminal justice system. One novel example of a practice that may contribute to continuing disparities is the introduction of defendant-authored rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials. Across the United States, prosecutors are introducing rap lyrics as confession evidence to establish guilt. Concerns about this practice have been articulated by scholars and others but rarely empirically examined. This study begins to address this lacuna. In particular, this study examines how lyrics are evaluated when presented in a trial context and determines how individuals change their evaluations of the lyrics to support their verdict. Participants were tasked with evaluating evidence, including rap lyrics, independently and in the context of a trial and then rendering a verdict. Results indicate that rap lyrics are viewed as interdependent with other evidence when presented at trial. Furthermore, although evaluations of lyrics did not predict determinations of guilt, verdict affected whether the lyrics were evaluated as a confession, and this effect was stronger for participants who believed the defendant was guilty. These findings highlight how introducing rap lyrics might disproportionately advantage prosecutors and contribute to our understanding of racial disparities in the criminal justice system

Art · Confession (law · Context (archaeology · Criminal justice · Criminology · Literature · Lyrics · Political science · Sociology · Verdict · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · History · Law · Law in Society and Culture · Psychology · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies · Social Psychology

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