A General Blindspot: General Theories’ Absence of Racial Animus, School Bonds, and Delinquency

• In Event: Intersecting Inequalities: Race, Gender, and State Power in Health and Justice Systems

Abstract

Several criminological theories claim to provide general explanations for involvement in criminal behavior. What these theories often fail to consider, however, is the influence of race/ethnicity on individual experience. One such experience is that of racial discrimination, which has been linked to delinquent involvement. The current research uses a nationally representative longitudinal sample to investigate the influence of racial discrimination and school bonds on delinquency for different racial/ethnic groups. Results indicate that experiencing prejudice at school increased delinquency for Black respondents, but not for White and Hispanic respondents. Additionally, school bonds were only significantly related to delinquent involvement for White respondents. Our findings highlight the need to assess concepts of criminological theories in light of racial/ethnic differences as both experiences and consequences of such experiences will likely differ by group.

Authors

• Michael TenEyck, University of Texas at Arlington

• Krysta Knox, University of Cincinnati

• Sarah El Sayed, University of Texas at Arlington

• Isaac Paul, University of Texas at Arlington