Research on Minorities: Toward a Relationship Between Race and Crime, Volumes I and II

• NCJ Number: 138088
• Author(s): B Headley; J Keiser; N Brown; C Spence; E Anderson
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 718 pages
• Grant Number(s): 80-NI-AX-0003
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; Atlanta University; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Because crime within the black community represents a major societal issue, this study involved a chronological and sociological investigation into the nature of crime and crime perceptions in black communities. Data set archived by the NIJ Data Resources Program at the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data, located at URL http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/nacjd.

Abstract

Four communities in two cities were selected for analysis, Atlanta and the District of Columbia. In addition, ethnographic studies were conducted in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. In Atlanta and Washington, two communities with high crime rates and two communities with low crime rates were selected. Communities were identified by census tract and then further differentiated by socioeconomic characteristics and racial density. The study was essentially concerned with examining differences in census tracts both within the city and between cities. Consideration was paid to fear of crime and community perceptions of crime. Questionnaires administered to 100 persons in Atlanta and 100 persons in Washington sought information on crime perceptions and safety; reporting of burglaries, robberies, and assaults; and trouble with and attitudes toward police. Interviews were conducted with city officials as an additional part of the research effort. No differences were observed in perceptions and fear of crime in Atlanta and Washington. Respondents' religious preference did not predict their perceptions of crime, but frequency of church attendance was a major predictor. The addition of recreational facilities in the two cities had little effect on perceptions of crime. Further, marital status, gender, number of persons in household, head of household, employment, and number of bedrooms in house had no predictive value for fear of crime within communities. Fewer robberies and assaults were perceived as occurring in Atlanta than in Washington, but there were no differences in attitudes toward the police between the two cities. Ethnographic analysis indicated that daily life in black communities cannot function until the amount of violent crime is reduced. Appendixes contain the study questionnaires and information on interviewing and analysis procedures. References, tables, and figures