NCJ Number
233856
Journal
Homicide Studies Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2011 Pages: 48-73
Date Published
February 2011
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This study examined racial and/or ethnic disparity in homicide arrest clearance outcomes among White, African-American, and Hispanic victims using event history (survival) analysis of data from multiple agencies across the United States.
Abstract
When applied to homicide clearance by arrest, the victim-devaluing perspective posits that police favor highersocial status victims by allocating greater investigative effort to their cases. Previous studies have measured social status via a dichotomous race variable (White vs. African-American, White vs. non-White, or non-Hispanic White vs. racial/ethnic minority). As the Hispanic population grows in the United States, it is increasingly important to extend homicide clearance research beyond the traditional questions of dichotomous racial/ethnic differences. Using 2000-2007 homicide data from agencies that report victim's ethnicity to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the current study examines the impact of victim's race/ethnicity on homicide clearance by arrest via a trichomotous measure (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic African-American, or Hispanic). Event history analysis found that, controlling for other incident characteristics, homicides with Hispanic victims had a lower risk of clearance by arrest than those with non-Hispanic White or non-Hispanic African-American victims. (Published Abstract) Tables, figure, appendix, notes, and references