Race and Crime--Is Crime Color Related--Racism In America and Education
Posted: Sunday, August 01, 2010
by Steve Kovacs
The Kovacs Perspective
Official crime data shows that African Americans, who make up 13 percent of the United States population, constitute 39 percent of those arrested for violent crimes and 30 percent of those arrested for property crimes. Furthermore, famous African American TV judge Gregory Mathis states that African Americans make up 62% of the prison population! Why? Is it because police pick on African Americans? Is it that blacks simply have a propensity to commit crimes?
The racial differences in crime rates are one of the most controversial areas of the criminal justice system. Many people feel crime statistics support the idea that African Americans simply are the predominate people who commit crimes. However, sociologist Robert J Sampson of Harvard University collected data on over 11,000 residents living in 180 Chicago neighborhoods. The study found that 60% of the gap in levels of violence between whites and blacks could be attributed to neighborhood and family conditions. In other words, regardless of race, a person would have a much higher risk of violent behavior if he or she lived in a poverty-stricken, disorganized neighborhood run by a single parent. This is a very interesting study and one that should be remembered by people dealing with the race and crime issue. This study cuts that concerning "gap" by 60 percent--that's enormous!
How about the other 40 percent? Could it be that if one believes he or she may be doomed to a life of crime similar to that of relatives and peers which has continued for generations, they may unconsciously drift towards crime? In my view, yes. How about racism having a hand in those statistics? It would be hard to argue that it has no effect even though I believe it is less than many believe. Racism occurs in every country and effects society in many different ways, including law enforcement.
I grew up with African American kids who were some of my best friends. We didn't even think about color. We thought about playing, experiencing life, enjoying music and as we got older, girls. We literally didn't even think of color being an issue. As a matter of fact, my grandmother told me quite often I was such a nice boy until I started hanging around some new white boys who moved in from a bad area. She was probably right. I was a class clown and a wild kid for a while.
So what causes crime? Has it anything to do with the color of ones skin? The study by Sampson and his team from Harvard University is quite telling. Those taking Criminal Justice 101 in college are learning about the "Chicago Study" as an important revelation in race and crime. Are there more reasons for the crime/race gap? Yes, I am sure there are other reasons and with continued efforts to understand the reasons for life's dilemmas, we will find more answers. The key is in education and by education I mean formal, communicating with others, reflecting on life's issues, and religious or godly experiences and training. The main key is not to pre-judge anything and close our minds to any possibility. The truth should never be feared and should not be approached with anger or disdain. Look anything in the eye and discern the truth. For those people who simply never understood the gap between race and crime, I feel scholarly education came upon the main reason for this troubling gap that caused racism to run even deeper for some. Identifying the root cause of a problem is the first step in its elimination. Let's start eliminating.
I grew up with African American kids who were some of my best friends. We didn't even think about color. We thought about playing, experiencing life, enjoying music and as we got older, girls. We literally didn't even think of color being an issue. As a matter of fact, my grandmother told me quite often I was such a nice boy until I started hanging around some new white boys who moved in from a bad area. She was probably right. I was a class clown and a wild kid for a while.
So what causes crime? Has it anything to do with the color of ones skin? The study by Sampson and his team from Harvard University is quite telling. Those taking Criminal Justice 101 in college are learning about the "Chicago Study" as an important revelation in race and crime. Are there more reasons for the crime/race gap? Yes, I am sure there are other reasons and with continued efforts to understand the reasons for life's dilemmas, we will find more answers. The key is in education and by education I mean formal, communicating with others, reflecting on life's issues, and religious or godly experiences and training. The main key is not to pre-judge anything and close our minds to any possibility. The truth should never be feared and should not be approached with anger or disdain. Look anything in the eye and discern the truth. For those people who simply never understood the gap between race and crime, I feel scholarly education came upon the main reason for this troubling gap that caused racism to run even deeper for some. Identifying the root cause of a problem is the first step in its elimination. Let's start eliminating.
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Top-level comments on this article: (8 total)Great and insightful piece! Deserves my "high 5"Thanks Marijo--I appreciate it.Stee
One of Johnny cash's song he sang at San Quintin prison went like this. "San Quintin what good do you think you do do you think I'll be different when your through"I believe some of these prisoners (not all) are doing the work of the Lord.Hard to disagree with you on that--thanks for reading.Steve
I support you on that, Steve. Where prejudice exists in a society I think it plays a large role in who gets arrested and who gets off, also, which doesn't get factored into the statistics. It's good to know that more enlightened studies are being done. Thanks, this is a great article.Smart people are doing studies all the time and every now and then they seem to hit the nail on the head--thanks...SteveHi Jennifer,That's one of the factors talked about too: because of bias, certain people get arrested more. Justice is supposed to be blind (just the facts kinda thing) and that is the way it should be. The criminal justice system should strive for that daily.Thanks.
I absolutely believe that education and class-status are institutionally racist. By this I mean that many aspects of these things are inherently racist and do nothing to elevate the members of society they purport to "help".That being said...poor people in this country have every right to be angry right now, and it is no wonder that kids and young adults grow up in lives of crime that start out for many to be a means of supporting their family. Many inner city schools don't even have heat, or enough chairs for the students. This passes on the image to the children of them not being worthwhile. Who would want to learn what seems irrelevant from underpaid, burnt-out professionals, when they could score some food for their hungry family???Yes, if as many whites were as poor as many blacks, we would see a more even crime-race ratio, I'm sure. But still not equal. I have been with my black husband on many occasions where people who would gladly assist me leave him until last to help. Bless his heart, he's the one who often has to keep MY mouth shut.I applaud you for your awareness and willingness to start a dialog about this subject. It is a great passion of mine. I appreciate others who share the desire to puzzle this out with me....Thank you! Let's get the conversation started, people!Thanks Jamie,Sounds like you have a good husband there! Thanks for sharing your viewpoint and being a part of the discussion.Steve
Great article. Well done.One of the most important points this article illustrates is that when it comes to race issues nothing is ever black or white. I like how you have shown that on the surface the issue appears to be based on skin colour but as you look into it more you show that there is so much more complexity to it. Putting the problem down to skin colour would quite simply be a lazy way of looking at it.Defiantly worth a high five and a homepage slot.Thanks Connor--good to hear from you--still eating that "hagus"?
You are so right, Steve, (That's the second time I've written that today!). Education is the key. The harder it is for one to advance themselves the less likely it is they'll do so. Still, there are those with every privilege who promptly place their heads up their keister.As you said, Education!Two great lines:. "The harder it is for one to advance themselves the less likely it is they'll do so" (I'm going to remember that one--the other one is hilarious:"those with every privilege who promptly place their heads up their keister". How true on both accounts--thanks,.Steve
Too many people are willing to accept myths of fact because it serves their own self interests. I heard somebody trying to explain the absurd, racist, socially advantaged differences in sentencing laws between crack cocaine and powder cocaine on a forum one day, and this person was literally shamed off of the forum with the main justification of, if you can't do the time don't do the crime. I thought to myself, this shallow self centered egocentric thinking is why this country is headed down the path of self destruction that it is on. Ignorance is too acceptable in this society, but that is after all why the advantaged underfund education, stupid people follow so easily.Your a good man, sorry for the rant.First of all thanks for the you are a good man comment--that means a lot. I think if we really look at things without an agenda--any kind of agenda other than looking for an answer--the truth--in any given area, we'll find it. It may not serve what a person may have thought or wants but finding reality, the real reasons behind things in life makes society much better.Thanks my friend,Steve
Just came across this today and wanted to let you know that this is an excellent, well thought out piece. It is way too easy to dismiss crime in the black community as a "black thing" without looking at the social, educational, and economic factors. Your analytical presentation of how multiple factors dictate the crime rate allows people to look at black crime objectively rather than with subjective opinion or prejudgement. Nice job Steve!Thank you--I appreciate the comments.
Steve
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