No evidence of racial discrimination in criminal justice processing: Results from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health

Kevin M. Beaver; Matt DeLisi; John Paul Wright; Brian B. Boutwell; J. C. Barnes; Michael G. Vaughn

doi:10.1016/j.paid.2013.01.020

No evidence of racial discrimination in criminal justice processing: Results from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health

Kevin M. Beaver, Matt DeLisi, John Paul Wright, Brian B. Boutwell, J. C. Barnes, Michael G. Vaughn

Graduate School of Social Welfare

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

38 Citations (Scopus)

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	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.01.020
Publication status	Published - 2013 Jul

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due to Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website ( http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth ). No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis.

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Psychology(all)

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title = "No evidence of racial discrimination in criminal justice processing: Results from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health",

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.",

author = "Beaver, {Kevin M.} and Matt DeLisi and Wright, {John Paul} and Boutwell, {Brian B.} and Barnes, {J. C.} and Vaughn, {Michael G.}",

note = "Funding Information: This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due to Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website ( http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth ). No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis. ",

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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 G.

In: Personality and Individual Differences, Vol. 55, No. 1, 07.2013, p. 29-34.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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