NCJ Number
229158
Date Published
December 2006
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of a study of the flagrantly high rates of African-American arrests in the city of San Francisco.
Abstract
Highlights of study findings include: 1) African-Americans in San Francisco were nearly 4 times more likely to be arrested for felonies over the last 5 years than African-Americans elsewhere in California; 2) African-Americans were 13 times more likely to be arrested for felonies than persons of other races, including a disparity of more than 170 percent for African-American women; 3) the racial disparity in arrests was largest for drug offenses with African-Americans arrested for drug offenses at 5 times the rate of African-Americans statewide; and 4) African-Americans comprised 37 percent of violent victimizations and 42 percent of violence arrests with a greater disparity for homicide (61 percent of murder victims, 77 percent of homicide arrests). These findings indicate that the arrest rates of San Francisco African-Americans for violent crimes reflects not police targeting, but a legitimate disparity founded in higher rates of violent victimization among African-Americans in the city. This extraordinarily high arrest rate of African-Americans in San Francisco was brought to the attention of city authorities prompting an investigation by sorting through the data in an attempt to expose the facts. Strategies are recommended in reducing crime and racial disparities in arrests are twofold. First, the city should openly admit and address its burgeoning drug abuse and crime crises centered in middle-aged Whites and African-Americans. The second strategy is to stop disparaging young people, and start improving quality of life in crime-impacted neighborhoods. Tables and references