Understanding Disproportionate Minority Contact: A Place-Based Glimpse at Youth Arrest Patterns

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Abstract

Criminology and criminal justice literature consistently finds that minority youth are disproportionately arrested relative to their prevalence in the population.  At the same time, research finds that small concentrations of places account for a majority of crime.  Thus, the identification and understanding of these places are critical for developing a greater understanding of crime patterns.  The current study expands the current literature on disproportionate minority contact (DMC) and crime and place by investigating youth offending at specific places and public facilities. Using ArcGIS to map approximately 6,700 youth arrests in multiple urban cities, the study examines offender demographics, offense details, and neighborhood factors to identify hotspots. The data indicate that the majority of youth arrests clustered around places such as public transportation hubs or behavioral health facilities. A majority of these arrests involve mid-level offenses committed in lower income areas by minority males.  Each place and arrest pattern may involve slightly different mechanisms.  This paper investigates those mechanisms to obtain a richer understanding of youth offending patterns and police response.  This, in turn, enhances the understanding of disproportionate arrests of individuals as well as at places.

Authors

• Jillian Shafer, University of Cincinnati

• Shaun M. Gann, University of Cincinnati

• Christopher Sullivan, University of Cincinnati