Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Crime and Delinquency in the United States

Abstract

A review of key empirical findings on race, ethnicity, & criminal or delinquent behavior in the US looks at racial/ethnic disparities in three data sources: official arrest/conviction records; self-reports of victimization; & self-reports of offending. Special attention is given to why there are huge ethnic differences in official records but smaller ethnic discrepancies in self-report studies. Consideration is given to the likelihood of certain groups being omitted from self-report studies; the emphasis on minor delinquency in questionnaires; & evidence of ethnic bias in self-report studies. Possible mediators of ethnic differences in crime are examined, including IQ & the socioeconomic context of one's neighborhood. New findings from the Chicago Neighborhoods Study indicate that crime rates (as self-reported) were highest among African Americans & lowest among Mexican Americans. The results of multivariate analyses showed neighborhood disadvantage to be the most important single mediator of the violent crime difference between African Americans & Whites while neither socioeconomic status nor family structure was influential. The implications are discussed. Tables, Figures, References. J. Lindroth