INSTITUTIONAL RACISM AND CRIME CLEARANCE (FROM BLACK PERSPECTIVES ON CRIME AND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, 1977 BY ROBERT L WOODSON - SEE NCJ-44997)

• NCJ Number: 45002
• Author(s): G PEIRSON
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 15 pages
• Corporate Author: G K Hall
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE EFFECTS OF COLLECTIVE, INSTITUTIONAL RACISM DIRECTED AGAINST BLACKS ON THE INTERPRETATION OF CRIME STATISTICS, POLICE PRACTICES, AND KILLINGS OF CITIZENS BY POLICE ARE EXAMINED.

Abstract

INSTITUTIONAL RACISM (I.R.) LONG PRACTICED IN THE UNITED STATES, INVOLVES ACTS BY THE TOTAL WHITE COMMUNITY AGAINST THE BLACK COMMUNITY; IT ORIGINATES IN THE OPERATION OF ESTABLISHED AND RESPECTED FORCES IN SOCIETY. THE POLICE FORCE IS ONE OF THE SYSTEMS WHICH PRACTICE I.R. IT IS READILY APPARENT IN THE USE OF CRIME STATISTICS TO 'PROVE' THAT BLACKS COMMIT A DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNT OF CRIME. A MAJOR FOCUS OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION'S UNIFORM CRIME REPORT (UCR) DEALS WITH MEASURING THE CLEARANCE RATES OF REPORTED CRIMES. THE REPORT INDICATES WHICH RACES ARE MOST ARRESTED FOR SPECIFIC CRIMES, E.G., THAT 58 PERCENT OF ALL MURDERS AND 66 PERCENT OF ALL ROBBERIES ARE CLEARED BY ARRESTS OF BLACKS. IT DOES NOT, HOWEVER, GO ON TO INDICATE HOW MANY OF THOSE ARRESTED ARE CONVICTED OF THE CRIMES; THUS THE UCR SERVES ONLY TO INDICATE THE EXTENT TO WHICH RACISM IS INVOLVE IN THE ARRESTING PROCESS. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE IMBALANCE IN RACIAL ARREST STATISTICS AND THE USES TO WHICH THESE STATISTICS ARE PUT THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM CAN BE SEEN IN THE RACIST ATTITUDES OF MANY WHITE POLICE OFFICERS AND THEIR WILLINGNESS TO BACK UP THEIR OPINIONS WITH THE AUTHORITY THEY POSSESS. BLACKS ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY THAN WHITES TO BE STOPPED BY A POLICEMAN ON 'SUSPICION.' TO THE POLICE, A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF ARRESTS OF BLACKS PROVES THAT THEIR SUSPICIONS OF BLACKS ARE WELL FOUNDED. ONE OF THE MOST EXTREME USES OF I.R. INVOLVES THE KILLING OF CITIZENS BY POLICE AND THE METHODS BY WHICH THESE KILLINGS ARE JUSTIFIED. ONE STUDY HAS SHOWN THAT BLACK MEN HAVE BEEN THE VICTIMS AT A RATE 9 TO 10 TIMES HIGHER THAN THE RATE FOR WHITE MEN, WHILE BLACK ARRESTS FOR MAJOR CRIMES HAVE ONLY RANGED FROM 30 TO 36 PERCENT. A DISCUSSION OF THE TOPIC BY CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXPERTS FOLLOWS THE ARTICLE, AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (VA)