Uncover the Truth About Race and Crime

Is Violent Crime More Interracial (i.e., against other races) or Intraracial (i.e., within the same race)?

Who is often the victim? What is the #identity of the perpetrator?

Have you ever turned on the television and witnessed instances of crime? More specifically, who is often the victim? The perpetrator? Perhaps preconceived notions come to mind of interracial crime (i.e., white on black or black on white).

Is Violent Crime More Interracial (i.e., against other races) or Intraracial (i.e., within the same race)?

Submitted by: Dr. Lincoln B. Sloas

This article is meant to highlight the facts of who is likely to be the victim of crime and likely #racialidentity of the perpetrator. The fact is crime is much more likely to be intraracial (i.e., the victim and perpetrator are of the same race). Recent estimates from the Bureau of Justice Statistics show that for all forms of violent victimization, slightly over 50% are intraracial whereas as slightly over 40% are interracial. This can be seen in Figure 1 below.

Trends in Intraracial Crime

When examining specific races, the same patterns emerge. For example, 56.6% of violent victimization are between whites, 63.2% are between blacks, and 40.3% are between Hispanics. These trends demonstrate that although popular opinion may be that crime is interracial, the reality is quite the opposite. It is, in fact, intraracial. #identitycrime

Lincoln B. Sloas, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University. His research interests include community corrections with an emphasis on how individuals navigate substance use treatment services and problem-solving courts.

Did Dr. Sloas' findings surprise you? Do you have a crime question or comment for Dr. Sloas? Make sure to add your comment and like this article!

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