Citation

Buckler K, Unnever JD, Cullen FT. J. Crime Justice 2008; 31(1): 35-57.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Midwestern Criminal Justice Association, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/0735648X.2008.9721243

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Building on traditional conflict perspectives, Hagan et al. (2005) have developed an important model for explaining racial-ethnic differences in perceptions of injustice, especially among Whites, Hispanics, and African Americans. Using data from the 2000 Public Opinion on the Courts in the United States survey, we provide a partial test of core propositions of their "comparative conflict theory." Consistent with the perspective's "racial-ethnic divide thesis," Whites perceived less injustice than members of minority groups. The findings also provide support for the "gradient thesis," which predicts that African Americans perceive the most injustice, followed by Hispanics and Whites, respectively. In our sample, however, we found no evidence for the "differential sensitivity thesis," which predicts that compared to African Americans, Hispanics' perceptions of injustice will be differentially increased by contact with the justice system. We discuss the implications of our findings in the context of comparative conflict theory.