The Color of Justice Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America

by Walker, Samuel; Spohn, Cassia; DeLone, Miriam

• ISBN13: 9780534594992
• ISBN10: 0534594999
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-04-10
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

Preface. 1. Race, Ethnicity, and Crime: The Present Crisis. 2. Victims and Offenders: Myths and Realities About Crime. 3. Race, Ethnicity, Social Structure, and Crime. 4. Justice on the Street? The Police and Minorities. 5. The Courts: A Quest for Justice During the Pre-Trial Process. 6. Justice on the Bench? Trial and Adjudication in Adult and Juvenile Court. 7. Race and Sentencing: In Search of Fairness and Justice. 8. The Color of Death: Race and the Death Penalty. 9. Corrections: A Picture in Black and White. 10. Minority Youth and the Criminal Justice System. 11. The Color of Justice. Selected Bibliography. Index.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Preface	ix
Race, Ethnicity, and Crime	1	(24)
The Scope of This Book	3	(2)
Goals of the Chapter	5	(1)
The Colors of America: Racial and Ethnic Categories	5	(9)
Racial and Ethnic Categories	5	(6)
The Politics of Racial and Ethnic Labels	11	(2)
The Quality of Criminal Justice Data on Race and Ethnicity	13	(1)
The Geography of Racial and Ethnic Justice	14	(1)
Disparity versus Discrimination	15	(4)
The Discrimination--Disparity Continuum	18	(1)
A Theoretical Perspective on Race, Ethnicity, and Crime	19	(2)
Alternative Theories	20	(1)
Conclusion	21	(1)
Discussion Questions	21	(1)
Notes	22	(3)
Victims and Offenders	25	(40)
Goals of the Chapter	26	(1)
A Broader Picture of the Crime Victim	26	(11)
The National Crime Victimization Survey	27	(1)
Household Victimization	28	(2)
Personal Victimization	30	(3)
Trends in Household and Personal Victimization	33	(1)
Lifetime Likelihood of Victimization	34	(1)
Homicide Victimization Rates	35	(1)
Summary: A More Comprehensive Picture of the Crime Victim	36	(1)
Picture of the Typical Offender	37	(13)
Official Arrest Statistics	37	(6)
Perceptions of Offenders by Victims	43	(4)
Self-Report Surveys	47	(3)
Summary: A Picture of the Typical Criminal Offender	50	(1)
Crime as an Intraracial Event	50	(3)
The National Crime Victimization Survey	51	(1)
UCR Homicide Reports	51	(1)
Summary: Crime as an Intraracial Event	52	(1)
Crime as an Interracial (Hate) Event	53	(1)
Ethnic Youth Gangs	54	(5)
Gang Myths and Realities	55	(2)
Varieties of Ethnic Gangs	57	(2)
Conclusion	59	(1)
Discussion Questions	60	(1)
Notes	60	(5)
Race, Ethnicity, Social Structure, and Crime	65	(28)
Goals of the Chapter	65	(1)
Economic Inequality	66	(9)
Income	67	(1)
Wealth	67	(2)
Unemployment	69	(1)
Poverty Status	70	(1)
Human Capital and Social Capital	70	(1)
Progress, Stagnation, or Regression? The Debate over the Status of African Americans	71	(2)
The Debate over the Underclass	73	(2)
Community Social Structure	75	(4)
Residential Segregation	75	(4)
Theoretical Perspectives on Inequality and Crime	79	(5)
Social Strain Theory	79	(1)
Differential Association Theory	80	(1)
Social Disorganization Theory	81	(1)
Culture Conflict Theory	82	(1)
Conflict Theory	82	(1)
Routine Activity Theory	83	(1)
The Limits of Current Theories	84	(1)
Inequality and Social Reform	84	(5)
The Impact of the Civil Rights Movement	85	(2)
The Attack on Economic Inequality	87	(2)
Conclusion	89	(1)
Discussion Questions	89	(1)
Notes	90	(3)
Justice on the Street?	93	(50)
Unequal Justice?	93	(2)
Conflicting Evidence	94	(1)
Goals of the Chapter	95	(1)
A Contextual Approach	95	(2)
A Long History of Conflict	97	(1)
The Police and a Changing America	97	(1)
Public Attitudes About the Police	98	(2)
Policing Racial and Ethnic Minority Communities	100	(3)
The African American Community	100	(1)
The Hispanic Community	101	(1)
The Native American Community	101	(1)
The Middle Eastern Community	102	(1)
Special Issue: Enforcing Federal Immigration Laws	103	(1)
Police Use of Deadly Force	103	(3)
Disparity versus Discrimination in Police Shootings	105	(1)
Controlling Police Shootings	105	(1)
``Police Brutality'': Police use of Physical Force	106	(3)
Discrimination in Arrests?	109	(2)
Zero-Tolerance Policing	110	(1)
Traffic Stops: Racial Profiling	111	(5)
Defining Racial Profiling	111	(1)
Profiling Contexts	112	(1)
The Data on Traffic Stops	112	(1)
Interpreting Traffic Stop Data	113	(1)
Controlling Bias in Traffic Stops	114	(1)
A Success Story: The Customs Bureau	115	(1)
Street Stops and Frisks	116	(3)
Special Issue: Stereotyping and Routine Police Work	118	(1)
Verbal Abuse	119	(1)
Police Officer Attitudes and Behavior	120	(2)
Minorities and Police Corruption	122	(1)
Police-Community Relations Programs	122	(2)
Citizen Complaints Against the Police	124	(2)
Citizen Oversight of the Police	126	(1)
Police Employment Practices	126	(8)
Trends in Racial Minority Employment	127	(2)
The Law of Employment Discrimination	129	(1)
Discrimination in Assignment	130	(1)
The Impact of Diversity	131	(3)
Minorities as Supervisors and Chief Executives	134	(1)
Conclusion	134	(1)
Discussion Questions	135	(1)
Notes	136	(7)
The Courts	143	(35)
The Situation Today	145	(2)
Goals of the Chapter	147	(1)
Decisions Regarding Counsel and Bail	147	(15)
Racial Minorities and the Right to Counsel	148	(6)
Racial Minorities and Bail Decision Making	154	(8)
Charging and Plea Bargaining Decisions	162	(10)
Prosecutors' Charging Decisions	162	(8)
Race and Plea Bargaining Decisions	170	(2)
Conclusion	172	(1)
Discussion Questions	173	(1)
Notes	174	(4)
Justice on the Bench?	178	(24)
Goals of the Chapter	180	(1)
Selection of the Jury Pool	180	(5)
Techniques for Increasing Racial Diversity	183	(2)
The Peremptory Challenge: Racial Profiling in the Courtroom?	185	(5)
The Supreme Court and the Peremptory Challenge: From Swain to Batson	186	(4)
Playing the ``Race Card'' in a Criminal Trial	190	(7)
Race-Conscious Jury Nullification: Black Power in the Courtroom?	195	(2)
Conclusion	197	(1)
Discussion Questions	198	(1)
Notes	199	(3)
Race and Sentencing	202	(48)
Goals of the Chapter	203	(1)
Racial Disparity in Sentencing	203	(4)
Four Explanations for Racial Disparities in Sentencing	204	(3)
Empirical Research on Race and Sentencing	207	(4)
Reviews of Recent Research	207	(4)
When Does Race Matter?	211	(20)
Sentencing in Three Urban Jurisdictions: Direct and Indirect Race Effects	211	(2)
Race/Ethnicity, Gender, Age, and Employment: A Volatile Combination?	213	(5)
Differential Treatment of Interracial and Intraracial Sexual Assault	218	(4)
The Effect of Race on Sentencing for Various Types of Crimes	222	(3)
Sentencing and the War on Drugs	225	(6)
Sentencing Reform: The Quest for a ``Just'' Punishment System	231	(12)
Race/Ethnicity and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines	238	(1)
Race/Ethnicity and State Sentencing Reforms	239	(2)
Have Sentencing Guidelines Increased the Likelihood of Racial Discrimination?	241	(2)
Conclusion	243	(1)
Discussion Questions	244	(1)
Notes	245	(5)
The Color of Death	250	(47)
Goals of the Chapter	251	(1)
The Constitutionality of the Death Penalty	251	(4)
Furman v. Georgia	252	(1)
Post-Furman Decisions	253	(2)
Attitudes Toward Capital Punishment	255	(2)
Race and the Death Penalty: The Empirical Evidence	257	(19)
Statistical Evidence of Racial Disparity	258	(4)
Pre-Furman Studies	262	(5)
Post-Furman Studies	267	(5)
Race and the Federal Capital Sentencing Process	272	(3)
Explanations for Disparate Treatment	275	(1)
McCleskey v. Kemp: The Supreme Court and Racial Discrimination in the Application of the Death Penalty	276	(7)
The Execution of Warren McCleskey	280	(2)
The Aftermath of McCleskey	282	(1)
The Death Penalty in the 21st Century	283	(6)
The Movement to Reform the Death Penalty	286	(1)
The Movement to Abolish the Death Penalty	287	(2)
Conclusion	289	(1)
Discussion Questions	290	(1)
Notes	291	(6)
Corrections Versus College: Minorities in Society	297	(27)
Goals of the Chapter	298	(1)
The Incarcerated: Prison and Jail Populations	298	(7)
Minority Overrepresentation	298	(3)
Historical Trends	301	(2)
Impact of the War on Drugs	303	(1)
Incarceration Rates	303	(2)
Jails and Minorities	305	(1)
The Role of Jail	305	(1)
Minority Overrepresentation	305	(1)
Parole: Early Release from Prison	306	(2)
Success and Failure on Parole	307	(1)
Probation: A Case of Sentencing Discrimination?	308	(1)
Perspectives on the Racial Distribution of Correctional Populations	309	(10)
Adjustment to Prison	312	(4)
Prison Gangs	316	(3)
Women in Prison	319	(1)
Conclusion	319	(1)
Discussion Questions	320	(1)
Notes	320	(4)
Minority Youth and Crime	324	(31)
Goals of the Chapter	325	(1)
Young Racial Minorities as Victims and Offenders	325	(6)
Juveniles as Victims of Crime	325	(3)
Juveniles as Offenders	328	(3)
Juveniles of Color and the Police	331	(1)
Race/Ethnicity and the Juvenile Justice System	332	(16)
Race/Ethnicity and Juvenile Court Outcomes in Four Jurisdictions	337	(7)
Transfer of Juveniles to Criminal Court	344	(2)
Explaining Disparate Treatment of Juvenile Offenders	346	(2)
Juveniles Under Correctional Supervision	348	(2)
Conclusion	350	(1)
Discussion Questions	351	(1)
Notes	351	(4)
The Color of Justice	355	(5)
Race, Crime, and Justice	356	(3)
Notes	359	(1)
Selected Bibliography	360	(13)
Index	373