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Racial Discrimination, Ethnic-Racial Socialization, and Crime: A Micro-sociological Model of Risk and Resilience.
Callie Harbin Burt1, Ronald L Simons, Frederick X Gibbons
1Arizona State University.
American Sociological Review
|September 24, 2013
Summary
Interpersonal racial discrimination increases crime risk in African American youth by worsening mental health and disengagement. However, "preparation for bias" socialization can build resilience against these effects.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Social Psychology
- African American Studies
Background:
- Racial disparities in criminal offending are a significant societal issue.
- Existing theories often overlook interpersonal racial discrimination as a key risk factor.
- African American culture offers adaptive strategies like ethnic-racial socialization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the link between personal experiences of racial discrimination and increased offending risk.
- To investigate the resilience provided by cultural socialization and preparation for bias against discrimination's criminogenic effects.
- To explore the influence of parenting context on these protective mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Utilized panel data from several hundred African American male youth.
- Employed a social psychological model linking racial discrimination to offending.
- Analyzed the mediating roles of depression, hostile views, and disengagement, and the moderating roles of socialization strategies.
Main Results:
- Racial discrimination positively associated with increased crime, mediated by depression, hostility, and disengagement.
- Preparation for bias significantly reduced the impact of discrimination on crime.
- Cultural socialization showed a less influential but beneficial effect.
- Parenting context moderated the protective effects of preparation for bias.
Conclusions:
- Interpersonal racial discrimination is a significant contributor to racial disparities in crime.
- Ethnic-racial socialization, particularly preparation for bias, offers protective benefits for African American youth.
- Targeted interventions should consider cultural strengths and parenting support to mitigate discrimination's negative impacts.
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