The Interaction of Social Disorganization and Intergroup Contact as Generators of Hate Crime

• In Event: Explaining Hate Crime Across Communities

Abstract

As criminal acts, hate crimes should be predicted by the same sorts of factors as crimes in general. In particular, for most criminal offenses, crime rates are highest in socially disorganized locations. What is surprising is that, contrary to that general finding, prior research suggests that hate crimes against blacks are prevalent in white, middle- to upper-middle class, socially organized neighborhoods. Lyons (2007, 2008) has argued that this result occurs because organized white communities band together to defend themselves against outsiders. Using a unique dataset of over 5000 hate incidents reported to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission from 1999 to 2012, this study examines the socio-structural predictors of hate crimes against blacks. In contrast to Lyons, we find that hate crimes across the state occur most frequently in white, disorganized places with little cohesion and few resources to prevent hate crimes from manifesting. In sum, hate crime appears to be the product of an interaction between social disorganization and intergroup contact.

Authors

• Andrew Gladfelter, Pennsylvania State University

• Brendan Lantz, Pennsylvania State University

• Barry Ruback, Pennsylvania State University