| Abstract: | The common perception that a young black man must be a drug-dealer means that male Africans have become the stereotype of unwanted immigrants in Vienna. In reference to the courts, the especially negative image of people with black skin can also have an influence on verdicts and sentencing. In fact, an analysis of 83 verdicts in drug-related cases, tried before the Straflandesgericht Wien (Municipal Criminal Court of Vienna), showed significant differences in sentencing between white and black defendants. Statistically, in the segment comprised of mild sentences the longer jail terms meted out to black dealers cannot be completely explained by the slightly higher average quantity of drugs they possessed at the time of arrest. As to those in the segment with harsher sentencing, the difference in sentencing can be attributed to significantly higher quantities of drugs at the time of arrest, a greater degree of criminal organization among African immigrants, and the increased vigilance of the authorities vis-à-vis this community. Since the design of this study is somewhat limited in respect to time and the ability to examine all contributing factors pertinent to each case, it is impossible to conclude with certainty that this difference in sentencing is a result of ?racist tendencies“ on the part of local officials. However, the results do bolster claims of a tendency towards discrimination. |
