Victims and Offenders: Myths and Realities About Crime (From Color of Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America, P 24-59, 1996, Sabra Horne, ed. - See NCJ-163438)

• NCJ Number: 163440
• Author(s): S Walker; C Spohn; M Delone
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 36 pages
• Sale Source: Wadsworth Publishing Co
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter uses several sources of data to describe the typical crime victim and the typical offender.

Abstract

The chapter compares household and personal victimization rates for racial minorities and whites; compares offending rates for racial minorities and whites, juveniles as well as adults; presents statistics to document the fact that crime is an intraracial rather than an interracial event; and discusses ethnic youth gangs and their role in crime in the United States. Data presented in this chapter reveal that African Americans and Hispanics are more likely than whites and non-Hispanics to be victims of household and personal crimes. The racial differences are particularly striking for violent crimes, especially robbery. While the typical offender for all crimes except murder and robbery is white, African Americans are arrested at a disproportionately high rate. Most crimes involve an offender and victim of the same race. Conclusions presented here are based primarily on descriptive data, mainly on percentages, rates, and trends over time. Figures, tables, notes