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Citation |
Shihadeh ES, Shrum W. Sociol. Spectr. 2004; 24(4): 507-. |
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Affiliation |
Department of Sociology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2004, Mid-South Sociological Association, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
unavailable |
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Abstract |
Most studies of the relationship between race and crime employ data aggregated at the city or SMSA level to show that high proportions of Blacks indicate high levels of crime. However, theoretical accounts of underlying criminogenic processes do not imply an effect for race, but rather involve explicit or implicit reference to the neighborhood as the unit of analysis. We combine 1990 census data with arrest records for 1989?1991 to generate complete block group information(n=276)for a medium size southern city. Contrary to studies showing a relationship between racial composition and crime, we show that structural factors account for this effect completely. This finding challenges accounts of crime based on subculture and is consistent with accounts based on the social and economic structure of communities. |