NCJ Number
84568
Date Published
1982
Length
11 pages
Annotation
The high crime rate among the American Indian population is apparently attributable to the fact that on virtually every measure of social welfare, Indians rank well below the white population as well as other racial and minority groups.
Abstract
A 1972 study by Charles Reasons found that overall arrest rates for Indians were three times those of blacks and ten times those of whites. Studies of specific criminal offenses such as homicide, suicide, and alcohol-related offenses have also shown Indian rates to be higher than the national average (Levy, 1969; Bynum, 1972). There is an increasing need to develop a better general framework for understanding Indian crime. Renewed interest has been expressed in localizing the cause of crime within institutional networks rather than assuming crime to be an individual pathology. The shape and character of the legal system in a complex society (one which is stratified economically and politically) is derived from conflicts inherent in the structure of these societies. Usually the legal system in its normative structures and organizational operations exhibits those norms and practices that maintain the position of entrenched power holders. Those with inferior job skills who are regularly unemployed or marginally employed are trapped in poverty that aggravates unstable and aggressive social relations and spurs attempts to increase income by illegal means. Indians have long been encouraged to leave the reservation and join the mainstream American society. In the 1950's, certain cities were targeted for urban Indian migration, but without adequate job training and skills, suitable housing, and education, these urban Indian communities quickly became ghettoes. These ghettoes have become breeding grounds for criminal behavior. Thirty-four references are listed.