Abstract
One of the most consistent findings in the criminological literature is that African American males are arrested, convicted, and incarcerated at rates that far exceed those of any other racial or ethnic group. This racial disparity is frequently interpreted as evidence that the criminal justice system is racist and biased against African American males. Much of the existing literature purportedly supporting this interpretation, however, fails to estimate properly specified statistical models that control for a range of individual-level factors. The current study was designed to address this shortcoming by analyzing a sample of African American and White males drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Analysis of these data revealed that African American males are significantly more likely to be arrested and incarcerated when compared to White males. This racial disparity, however, was completely accounted for after including covariates for self-reported lifetime violence and IQ. Implications of this study are discussed and avenues for future research are offered.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 29-34 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Personality and Individual Differences |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 Jul 1 |
Fingerprint
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Psychology(all)
Cite this
}
No evidence of racial discrimination in criminal justice processing : Results from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. / Beaver, Kevin M.; DeLisi, Matt; Wright, John Paul; Boutwell, Brian B.; Barnes, J. C.; Vaughn, Michael George.
In: Personality and Individual Differences, Vol. 55, No. 1, 01.07.2013, p. 29-34.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - No evidence of racial discrimination in criminal justice processing
T2 - Results from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
AU - Beaver, Kevin M.
AU - DeLisi, Matt
AU - Wright, John Paul
AU - Boutwell, Brian B.
AU - Barnes, J. C.
AU - Vaughn, Michael George
PY - 2013/7/1
Y1 - 2013/7/1
N2 - One of the most consistent findings in the criminological literature is that African American males are arrested, convicted, and incarcerated at rates that far exceed those of any other racial or ethnic group. This racial disparity is frequently interpreted as evidence that the criminal justice system is racist and biased against African American males. Much of the existing literature purportedly supporting this interpretation, however, fails to estimate properly specified statistical models that control for a range of individual-level factors. The current study was designed to address this shortcoming by analyzing a sample of African American and White males drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Analysis of these data revealed that African American males are significantly more likely to be arrested and incarcerated when compared to White males. This racial disparity, however, was completely accounted for after including covariates for self-reported lifetime violence and IQ. Implications of this study are discussed and avenues for future research are offered.
AB - One of the most consistent findings in the criminological literature is that African American males are arrested, convicted, and incarcerated at rates that far exceed those of any other racial or ethnic group. This racial disparity is frequently interpreted as evidence that the criminal justice system is racist and biased against African American males. Much of the existing literature purportedly supporting this interpretation, however, fails to estimate properly specified statistical models that control for a range of individual-level factors. The current study was designed to address this shortcoming by analyzing a sample of African American and White males drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Analysis of these data revealed that African American males are significantly more likely to be arrested and incarcerated when compared to White males. This racial disparity, however, was completely accounted for after including covariates for self-reported lifetime violence and IQ. Implications of this study are discussed and avenues for future research are offered.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84875579890&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84875579890&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.paid.2013.01.020
DO - 10.1016/j.paid.2013.01.020
M3 - Article
VL - 55
SP - 29
EP - 34
JO - Personality and Individual Differences
JF - Personality and Individual Differences
SN - 0191-8869
IS - 1
ER -