Study says Black children not afforded equal levels of childhood innocence

According to a new research report, Black males as young as 10 years old are not afforded the same presumption of childhood innocence as their white peers.

The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology by the American Psychological Association, asserts that Black males – as young as age 10 — are considered to be much older than what they are, perceived to be guilty, and face police violence if accused of a crime.

The study sought to examine the extent to which the racial bias exists and how significant the consequences.

“Children in most societies are considered to be in a distinct group with characteristics, such as innocence and the need for protection,” said Phillip Atiba Goff, Ph.D., speaking about the study. “Our research found that Black boys can be seen as responsible for their actions at an age when white boys still benefit from the assumption that children are essentially innocent.”

Some of the study’s findings include:

• Researchers reviewed police officers’ personnel records to determine use of force while on duty and found that those who dehumanized Blacks were more likely to have used force against a Black child in custody than officers who did not dehumanize Blacks. The study described use of force as takedown or wrist lock; kicking or punching; striking with a blunt object; using a police dog, restraints or hobbling; or using tear gas, electric shock or killing. Only dehumanization and not police officers’ prejudice against Blacks — conscious or not — was linked to violent encounters with Black children in custody, according to the study.

• In one experiment, students rated the innocence of people ranging from infants to 25 year olds who were Black, white, or an unidentified race. The students judged children up to nine years old as equally innocent regardless of race, but considered Black children significantly less innocent than other children in every age group beginning at age 10, the researchers found.

• In another experiment, students first viewed either a photo of an ape or a large cat and then rated Black and white youngsters in terms of perceived innocence and need for protection as children. Those who looked at the ape photo gave Black children lower ratings and estimated that Black children were significantly older than their actual ages, particularly if the child had been accused of a felony rather than a misdemeanor.-

Matthew Jackson, Ph.D of UCLA and co-author of the study said that in some cases the average age overestimation for Black boys exceeds four-and-a-half years, meaning Black children may be viewed as adults as early as 13 years old.

“The evidence shows that perceptions of the essential nature of children can be affected by race,” Jackson said, “and for Black children, this can mean they lose the protection afforded by assumed childhood innocence well before they become adults.”

This article originally published in the March 17, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.