NCJ Number
84569
Date Published
1982
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Native American crime patterns as evidenced in statistics, patterns of law enforcement against Native Americans, and theories of Native American crime are discussed.
Abstract
Data from the Uniform Crime Reports generally indicate that Native Americans have an arrest rate about 10 times that of whites and about 3 times that of blacks. In 1976, 43 percent of all Indian arrests were for drunkenness and disorderly conduct, compared to 30 percent for whites and 18 percent for blacks. About 5 percent of Indian arrests are for violent crimes, a rate lower than blacks and about that of whites, and about 15 percent for property crimes, far below blacks and slightly below whites. Data from the Bureau of Indian Affairs police and the tribal police of individual reservations keep crime statistics which have never been systematically analyzed by criminologists. These data indicate that Indian crime is more serious on reservations than in urban areas. The greatest variation in arrest rates is among reservations. While evidence of discrimination against Indians in urban law enforcement has not been seriously studied, arrest patterns in small towns near reservations suggest the prejudicial targeting of Indians for arrest. Arrest rates are equally high on reservations, suggesting that the Indian police on reservations are just as rigid in applying 'white-man's' law against fellow Indians as are white police. Theoretical explanations of Indian crime include theories based in culture conflict, poverty, depressed aggression, the reservation system, inherent cultural criminal traits, and an Indian 'primitive world view.' The most likely theory is that Indian criminal behavior stems from the history of oppression and exploitation experienced by Native Americans. Thirty-seven references are listed.