In the landmark study, The Mark of a Criminal Record, conducted by Devah Pager examining the effects of criminal record on hiring practices, four young men, two black and two white, were sent to apply for jobs in the Milwaukee area. Each was randomly assigned no record or a minor felony drug conviction. The following conclusions are reported:
- 34% of white non-criminals received callbacks
- 14% of Blacks with out a criminal record received callbacks
- 17% of Whites with a criminal record received callbacks
- While only 5% of black applicant’s with a record received a callback
We are dealing with a situation where the felon is nearly always seen as untrustworthy (especially young black males) simply by labeling them felons and regardless of their likelihood to re-offend. This is called the fundamental attribution error- a tendency for observers to judge other individuals on their behavior alone, never taking into account how the situation might have influenced the individual. Different situations provoke different reactions from the very same person. (For further proof, read about Stanley Milgram or his famous Obedience Experiments or read about Phillip Zimbardo and see the Stanford Prison Experiments where everyday normal people committed terrible acts in response to the situations in which they were placed.)
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