OUTLiNE

OUTLINE

I. Introduction

A. Some believe that minorities are most likely to commit crimes. Others disagree, stating that it depends what kind of crimes are being observed. They believe African-Americans and other minorities are more likely to commit acts of domestic violence. However, whites commit more crimes although it is “white collar” violence.

B. Particularly African- American males commit a higher number of offenses when proportioned with other groups.

C. Throughout the 1990’s African- American males between the ages of fourteen and twenty-four made up a growing proportion of homicide offenders.

II. Statistics (African-American)

A. Between 1976 and 2000, 66.3% of drug related homicide- offenders were African- American males.

B.A high proportion of felony murders (deaths that occur during such violent crimes as burglary, sexual assault, or robbery) between those years were committed by African-Americans (59.2 percent).

C. Of homicides in the years spanning 1976 and 2000 that involved an intimate victim/offender relationship, 44.4 percent of the offenders were African-American.

D. During those same years, in homicides where a gun was the weapon of choice, 54.6 percent of the offenders were African-American.

III. Statistics (white)

A. In workplace-related murders between 1976 and 2000, a high proportion of the offenders were white (70.2 percent), while 26.9 percent were African-American.

B. Of gang-related homicides committed between 1976 and 2000, 56.7 percent of the offenders were white.

C. Murders of family members were committed most often by whites (58.3 percent).

D. White offenders accounted for 54.5 percent of arson deaths and 74.3 percent of deaths by poisoning between 1976 and 2000.

E. Between 1976 and 2000, when a white homicide offender killed a stranger, the victim was also white between 40 to 50 percent of the time. When an African-American offender killed a stranger, the victim was also African-American at roughly the same percentage. When homicide offenders kill friends or acquaintances, the victim is even more likely to be of the same race.

IV. Number of inmates in federal prisons or local jails (by race [June 30, 2002])

A. 18-29
White Males = 217,900
Black Males = 357,100
Hispanic Males = 161,000

B 30- 54
White Males = 381,400
Black Males = 438,100
Hispanic Males = 170,900

C. 55 or older
White Male = 27,600
Black Male = 14,400
Hispanic Male = 7,000