Darrell Steffensmeier, professor of sociology, crime, law and justice, at Penn State University published an analysis of violent crime statistics in the most recent issue of Criminology that indicate the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports and the National Crime Victimization Survey has been reporting skewed data about violent crime for the last twenty years. The report was reviewed at the EurekaAlert web site on March 28, 2011.
The bias of the FBI reporting hinges on one single fact – Hispanic criminals were reported as white.
There is no Hispanic category in the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports and the National Crime Victimization Survey.
This bias increased the number of violent crimes reportedly perpetrated by whites and reduced the number of violent crimes reportedly perpetrated by blacks.
When adjusted for the error there was no change in black violent crime or white violent crime over the past two decades.
"Using arrest statistics from 1980 to 2008 in California and New York, two states that include a Hispanic category, the recalculated national figures indicated that the black percentage of assault increased slightly from 42 percent to 44 percent and homicide increased from 57 percent to 65 percent. There was a small decline in robbery, from 57 percent to 54 percent. "
""It is the case that violent crime rates are lower today for blacks, as they also are for other race groupings, but the black percentage of violent crime is about the same today as in 1980," Steffensmeier said. "
"According to Steffensmeier, studies that purport to show declines in black violent crimes may also rely on timelines that are too short to be effective. For instance, studies that start in the late 1980s and 1990s cover a period of rapid increase in black violent crime fueled by crack cocaine use in the inner cities. According to Steffensmeier, the recent decrease is more likely a return to average crime rates."
"Some researchers have suggested that the improving trend in black violent crime indicates that African-Americans are experiencing better social standing in the U.S. Steffensmeier said that black progress may not be as pronounced or as broad. "
""There may be a growing affluent black middle class, but at the same time, the black underclass appears to have become even more disenfranchised and more segregated from the rest of society," said Steffensmeier."
Jeffrey T. Ulmer, associate professor, and Casey T. Harris, graduate student, both in sociology and crime, law and justice, Penn State and Ben Feldmeyer, assistant professor, University of Tennessee-Knoxville.were major contributors to the study.
In a city and state where race is all important one wonders what the response will be. Blame the Hispanics is the first thing that comes to mind – that would be the typical Alabama response.
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