Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The importance of race in the production of criminal conduct has been an issue in American criminology for decades. The fact that minority groups, particularly African Americans, are disproportionately involved as offenders in the criminal justice system in the US is not in dispute. However, there is little agreement among criminologists on what this means. Some argue that the relationship between race and crime is largely the result of the conduct of African American men and boys. Others argue that the relationship between race and crime suggested by official statistics is the result of discrimination in the various systems of justice in the US. Official arrest, incarceration, and public health data all point to a disproportionate involvement of black people, especially black men and boys, in predatory crime in the US. In 2003, the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) indicated that blacks accounted for 37 percent of all arrests for violent crimes though blacks account for only about 13 percent of the population. Black men are also overrepresented as victims. US public health statistics consistently show homicide is a leading cause of death for black males ( Anderson 1999 ). In addition, the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports suggest that black offenders are responsible for most homicides involving black victims. Black males have been over-represented in both victimization and offender ... log in or subscribe to read full text