Offending Patterns Among Southeast Asians in the State of California

• NCJ Number: 202501
• Journal: Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: 2003 Pages: 93-114
• Author(s): Augustine J. Kposowa; Glenn T. Tsunokai
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 22 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Using data from California's Monthly Arrest and Citation Register (MACR) for 1991-1996, this study determined the chances for arrest for various violent and property offenses across seven Asian ethnic groups: Vietnamese, Laotians, Cambodians, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, and Filipinos.

Abstract

In order to avoid selection bias, African-Americans, Hispanics, Native-Americans, and Whites were also included in the analysis. The dependent variable was the risk of arrest for a given crime. The six crimes selected for analysis were robbery, assault, burglary, theft, automobile theft, and petty theft. The odds of arrest for a specified crime were estimated as a function of national origin/ethnicity, as well as of control variables, including sex, age, metropolitan residence, percent living below the poverty level, percent unemployed, the percent with less than 9 years of schooling, percent divorced, and percent foreign born. Logistic regression models were fitted to the MACR data. Consistent with the theoretical hypotheses formulated for the study, the findings showed that Southeast Asian immigrants (Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians) were more likely to engage in criminal activity than their White counterparts and more established Asian groups (Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, and Filipinos). Southeast Asians, notably Vietnamese, were overrepresented in every arrest category; whereas, non-refugee Asian groups were considerably underrepresented in arrests. Cambodians, Laotians, and Vietnamese were at significantly higher risk of arrest for crimes that tended to produce financial gains, such as theft, car theft, and petty theft. The discussion of the findings suggests that the overrepresentation of Southeast Asians in arrests for the crimes considered may partly reflect the unique nature of the immigration of these groups to the United States, combined with the multiple disadvantages that they continue to experience in the United States. The findings indicate the need for more programs that will assist Southeast Asian refugee immigrants in their transition into American society. 3 tables and 31 references