Crutchfield Robert D, Skinner Martie L, Haggerty Kevin P, McGlynn Anne, Catalano Richard F
Department of Sociology, University of Washington.
Race Soc Probl. 2009 Dec 11;1(4):218-230. doi: 10.1007/s12552-009-9018-y.
Criminologists have long reported the existence of racial disparity in the criminal justice system, but the important question is why. While some argue that observed differences are a consequence of more criminal behavior among minorities, the weight of the evidence indicates that this is but a partial explanation. In this paper we study data from a sample of juveniles to examine how racial differences in early police contact, and important social environments-family, school, and neighborhoods-affect later contact and arrests, controlling for self-reported delinquency. We find that early (in middle school) contact with police is an important predictor of later (high school) arrests. Also we found that, in addition to being male and living in a low-income family, children who have parents who have a history of arrest, who have experienced school disciplinary actions, who have delinquent peers, and who are in networks with deviant adults are more likely to have problems with law enforcement. These factors help to explain racial differences in police contacts and arrests.
长期以来，犯罪学家一直报告刑事司法系统中存在种族差异，但重要的问题是原因何在。虽然有些人认为观察到的差异是少数群体中更多犯罪行为的结果，但证据表明这只是部分解释。在本文中，我们研究了来自青少年样本的数据，以考察早期与警方接触中的种族差异以及重要的社会环境——家庭、学校和社区——如何影响后期接触和逮捕情况，同时控制自我报告的犯罪行为。我们发现，早期（中学阶段）与警方接触是后期（高中阶段）被捕的一个重要预测因素。此外，我们还发现，除了男性和生活在低收入家庭外，父母有被捕历史、经历过学校纪律处分、有违法犯罪的同龄人以及处于与有不良行为的成年人的社交网络中的儿童，更有可能在执法方面出现问题。这些因素有助于解释警方接触和逮捕中的种族差异。
