An Analysis of Serious Crime by Young Black Women*

Abstract

This research focuses on a relatively unexplored phenomenon-black female juvenile offenders. Both theoretical and research work are weak or nonexistent regarding these offenders. This paper seeks to 321 some of these gaps. In addition, this research effort draws on a source of data that has in frequently been adapted to study offenders, National Crime Survey (NCS) victimization data. Utilizing NCS data from I973 through 1981, a comparative analysis of NCS rates of juvenile offenses by black females, black males, white females, and white males is presented and discussed. A number of propositions which are found in the literature regarding black female offenders are examined. Trends in offending by black females compared with trends for other age-race-sex subgroups are also presented and analyzed. Final&, some implications for future theoretical and research efforts are presented.

Contributions of quantitative methods to the study of gender and crime, or bootstrapping our way into the theoretical thicket

“…These include the observation that family correlates of delinquency differ in magnitude by race (see, e.g., Cernkovich and Giordano, 1987) and the fact that negative life events, such as poverty and living in a single parent household, are more sustained for black youth than for white youth (McLoyd, 1990). These differences may be important for understanding the differences that appear in the offending ratios of black and white men and women (see, e.g., Laub and McDermott, 1985).…”

Interpersonal Racial Discrimination, Ethnic-racial Socialization, and Offending: Risk and Resilience among African American Females

“…Rice, 1990), studies show that black females, like their male counterparts, engage in higher rates of street offenses than white females (e.g. Laub & McDermott, 1985;Simpson, 1991). Although more research is needed, the broad theme emerging from this work is that racial disparities in offending exist for males and females, with the disparities being larger for violent crimes (e.g.…”

“…Rice, 1990), evidence suggests that black females commit street offenses at significantly higher rate than white females (e.g. Laub & McDermott, 1985;Simpson, 1991;Tracy, Wolfgang, & Figlio, 1991). 1 A number of excellent works have shed light on offending among black females, highlighting the unique pressures faced by this population (e.g.…”

The lives and crimes of African-American women on death row: a case study

“…However, as previous researchers have noted, "it appears that in the criminological literature the term 'women' is synonymous with 'white woman'... and the term 'black' is often synonymous with 'black men'" ( [12]: 81-82). Indeed, African-American women as a separate group are frequently overlooked in criminological literature, with most research focusing on racial inequality or gender inequality-but not both [8,9].…”

“…The UCR are not the only data source lacking information on the African-American female offender. Victimization surveys provide more information on this group and have been used to analyze African-American female criminality (e.g., [12]); however, victimization surveys have their own set of limitations. First, they are limited by the victim's perception of the crime and criminal.…”