NCJ Number
166110
Journal
City Journal Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: (Spring 1996) Pages: 14-28
Date Published
1996
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Views on race and crime have become polarized and often out of touch with reality, in part because many blacks and some whites believe the criminal justice system is biased against blacks.
Abstract
The ambivalence and mistrust many blacks feel toward the criminal justice system is a social reality whites cannot ignore, and social science research has a responsibility to provide accurate information on black crime and black punishment. The bottom line of most of the best research is that the criminal justice system is not racist; if blacks are overrepresented in the ranks of the imprisoned, it is because blacks are over- represented in the criminal ranks. Even if racism exists, it can only partially explain the gap between the 11 percent black representation in the U.S. adult population and the nearly 50 percent black representation among persons entering State prisons each year. Blacks are about 50 times more likely to commit violent crimes against whites than whites are to commit violent crimes against blacks. Racial differences in crime are assessed in terms of violent crimes, drug offenses, and juveniles, and consideration is paid racial differences in sentencing, imposition of the death penalty, and probation and parole. Factors contributing to the overrepresentation of blacks in the criminal justice system are discussed, and supporting statistical data on violent crimes are provided. 3 tables and 2 photographs