Crimes by Color: Patterns in Self-Reported Offending

• In Event: Posters I

Abstract

The implied convention of a particular ethnic group being more violent than another, is still evident in the justice system, in spite of the disproportionate minority contact reforms of 1989 and the plethora of studies which have ensued. Building on previous research from Piquero and Blane (2008) this research explores the presence of ethnic-specific reported offending patterns among a sample of serious juvenile offenders, transitioning into adulthood. Using the Pathways to Desistance Study (Mulvey, et al 2004), and framed within Omi & Winant’s 1986, racial formation theory, the intersectionality of sociocultural and individual factors are examined. The analysis reveals the overarching role of sociocultural factors and the projected changes in the many “colors” of crime.

Author

• Sharmaine Tapper, Prairie View A&M University