Racial inequality is a foundational feature of the criminal justice system in the United States. Here we offer a psychological account for how Americans have come to tolerate a system that is so at odds with their professed egalitarian values. We argue that beliefs about the nature of racism—as being solely due to prejudiced individuals rather than structural factors that disadvantage marginalized racial groups—work to uphold racial stratification in the criminal justice system. Although acknowledging structural racism facilitates the perception of and willingness to reduce racial inequality in criminal justice outcomes, many Americans appear willfully ignorant of structural racism in society. We reflect on the role of psychological science in shaping popular understandings of racism and discuss how to contribute more meaningfully to its reduction.

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对结构性种族主义的理解：对刑事司法的影响

种族不平等是美国刑事司法系统的基本特征。在这里，我们提供了一个心理解释，说明美国人是如何开始容忍一个与他们所宣称的平等主义价值观相悖的制度的。我们认为，关于种族主义本质的信念——完全是由于偏见的个人而不是使边缘化种族群体处于不利地位的结构性因素——有助于在刑事司法系统中支持种族分层。尽管承认结构性种族主义有助于减少刑事司法结果中种族不平等的认识和意愿，但许多美国人似乎故意不了解社会中的结构性种族主义。我们反思心理科学在塑造大众对种族主义的理解中的作用，并讨论如何为减少种族主义做出更有意义的贡献。