RECONCILING RACE AND CLASS DIFFERENCES IN SELF-REPORTED AND OFFICIAL ESTIMATES OF DELINQUENCY

• NCJ Number: 66015
• Journal: American Sociological Review Volume: 45 Issue: 1 Dated: (FEBRUARY 1980) Pages: 95-110
• Author(s): D S ELLIOTT; S S AGETON
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH27552; 78-JN-AX-0003
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Corporate Author: American Sociological Review
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A NEW SELF-REPORTING INSTRUMENT WAS USED TO TEST WHETHER METHODOLOGICAL FACTORS EXPLAIN DIFFERENCES FOUND BETWEEN OTHER SELF-REPORTED DATA AND OFFICIAL DATA ON RACE AND CLASS DISTRIBUTION OF DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR.

Abstract

UNLIKE SELF-REPORT DATA, OFFICIAL ARREST DATA HAVE SHOWN DIFFERENCES IN DELIQUENT BEHAVIOR BY RACE AND CLASS. SELF-REPORTING HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR BEING UNRELIABLE. THE INSTRUMENT USED IN THE PRESENT STUDY ADDRESSED COMMON CRITICISMS OF SELF-REPORT MEASURES BY REPRESENTING THE FULL RANGE OF DELINQUENT ACTS, PROVIDING BETTER DISCRIMINATION AT THE HIGH END OF THE FREQUENCY CONTINUUM, PROVIDING A MODERATE RECALL PERIOD, CAPTURING SEASONAL VARIATIONS, AND PERMITTING DIRECT COMPARISON WITH OTHER SELF-REPORT AND OFFICIAL MEASURES. THE STUDY USED A NATIONAL PROBABILITY SAMPLE OF 1,726 YOUTHS AGED 11 TO 17. CRIMES WERE DIVIDED INTO FOUR MAIN TYPES: PREDATORY CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS, PREDATORY CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY, ILLEGAL SERVICE, AND PUBLIC DISORDER. STUDY RESULTS SHOWED (1) SIGNIFICANT RACE DIFFERENCES FOR TOTAL DELINQUENCY AND FOR CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY, (2) BLACKS REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FREQUENCIES THAN WHITES ON BOTH MEASURES, (3) CLASS DIFFERENTIALS APPEARED FOR TOTAL DELINQUENCY AND FOR PREDATORY CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON AND (4) YOUTH FROM LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS HAD HIGHER SCORES THAN DID WORKING-CLASS OR MIDDLE-CLASS GROUPS. RESULTS SUGGEST A RELATIVELY HIGH INVOLVEMENT OF LOWER CLASS BLACK YOUTH IN SERIOUS OFFENSES AGAINST PERSONS. ALSO, THE FINDINGS IMPLY THAT CRITICISM OF MANY SELF-REPORT MEASURES IS WELL FOUNDED, GENERALIZATIONS BASED ON THESE MEASURES ARE MISLEADING, AND GENERAL SUMMARY MEASURES SHOULD BE INTERPRETED CAUTIOUSLY. FINDINGS INDICATE THAT PREVIOUS SELF-REPORT MEASURES ARE NOT AS SENSITIVE AS THE PRESENT INSTRUMENT FOR CAPTURING THEORETICALLY IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES. TABLES, FOOTNOTES, A REFERENCE LIST, AND AN APPENDIX PRESENTING THE STUDY INSTRUMENT ARE INCLUDED. (CFW)