NCJ Number
197689
Journal
Social Problems Volume: 49 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 349-374
Date Published
August 2002
Length
26 pages
Annotation
Based on 1990 data for 129 U.S. metropolitan areas, this study quantifies the extent to which differences in structural characteristics among the non-Latino white, non-Latino Black, and Latino populations contribute to the differences in homicide rates for these racial/ethnic populations.
Abstract
The study sought to answer the question as to how much the racial homicide differential would be reduced if Blacks and Latinos had the same social and economic characteristics (composition), on average, as whites. The dependent variable was the homicide victimization rate for each racial/ethnic group for each metropolitan area in 1990. The homicide rates were age-standardized to remove any biases related to differing age structures across the areas studied. The total race/ethnic population by 5-year age groups for each area was obtained from the Bureau of the Census. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics were used to obtain homicide victimization data. The independent variables measured were family structure, socioeconomic status, industrial structure, stability, culture, and metropolitan context. The analysis involved a system of three regression equations, one each for the racial/ethnic groups studied. The findings suggest that if the Latino population were subject to the same set of structural characteristics as the white population, the Latino homicide rate would actually be lower than the current white rate. Poor Latino outcomes in terms of structural factors can explain all of the white-Latino homicide differential, providing strong support for current criminological theories regarding why racial and ethnic differences in violence exist. In the case of Blacks, however, compositional factors clearly played a role, but explained considerably less of the white-Black homicide gap, suggesting that these theories do not apply as well to the Black population as they do to other minority populations, notably Latinos. Black Americans are much more residentially isolated from other racial groups than are Latinos or other minorities, which can contribute to the development of alternative value systems and subcultures that provide distinctive contributions to behaviors. It is likely that as structural, cultural, and contextual factors change, the ways in which homicide rates are affected by these factors may also change. It is clear that a significant portion of the racial homicide differential could be reduced by improving socioeconomic conditions for both minority populations. 7 tables and 56 references