Appearance and Punishment: The Attraction-Leniency Effect in the Courtroom

Abstract Abstract Observers rated 60 criminal defendants on the following four items related to attractiveness: physical attractiveness, neatness, cleanliness, and quality of dress. The four-item Attractiveness Index correlated significantly and negatively with severity of punishment (acquitted to 20 years); the correlation remained significant when seriousness of the crime was controlled. AI ratings did not predict whether the defendant was convicted or acquitted. Some racial disparities in severity of punishment were noted: Nonwhites, as compared to whites, were more conviction prone, more apt to be charged with violent crimes, and, once convicted, more likely to be sentenced.