Understanding the Mechanisms that Distinguish Repeat Bias Victimization from Non-Bias Victimization

• In Event: From Detecting to Prosecution Hate Crimes Across Local and Federal U.S. Jurisdictions

Abstract

The current study seeks to understand what characteristics delineate experiences of repeat non-bias-related victimization and repeat bias-related victimization—specifically, the role of cultural factors and colorism in contributing to bias-related revictimization amongst Latinx adults. We use two waves of the Longitudinal Evaluation of Victimization of Latinos (LEVEL) survey data collected across three sites (Boston, Houston/Galveston, San Diego). We used multinomial logistic regression to determine what characteristics separate individuals from experiencing no bias-related victimization, discontinuation from bias-related victimization, initiation into bias-related victimization, and repeated bias-related victimization. Results of our study show that the most notable distinction between experiences of repeat bias victimization and non-biased victimization are visual markers of race and ethnicity. We find that participants who were self-identified as having darker skin (RR = 1.69; p <.001) were at a significantly higher risk of experiencing repeated bias-related victimization, a relationship that was absent in models that looked at non-bias victimization. Our findings convey policy and research implications, particularly surrounding the role of colorism in bias and victimization scholarship. This study further connects the role of gender and colorism in experiencing bias-related victimization and highlights unique characteristics of bias motivated violence in contrast to non-bias motivated violence.

Author

• Carlos Cuevas, Northeastern University