Racial Equality

Are black youths more likely to commit crimes than whites? A glance at the nation's prison population would suggest that the answer is yes. But a surprising new federally funded study says not necessarily. In 1976 University of Colorado Sociologist Delbert Elliott began to follow a nationwide cross section of 1,700 young people, ages 11 to 17 at the time. Periodically they reported to him, in confidence, any episodes of their own criminal or delinquent behavior, whether or not they were caught. The finding after ten years: those who were white reported nearly as many crimes as blacks but fewer were arrested. This held true, Elliott found, whether he was considering less serious crimes, such as underage drinking or petty vandalism, or whether he measured major lawbreaking, such as assault or drug selling.

The study suggests that economic class is an important factor in how youths are treated by the juvenile justice system, whether they are black or white. Elliott believes that when more affluent youths run afoul of the law, they are more likely to find lenient treatment from police, and that courts are more willing to release them into the custody of parents who can promise counseling and special schools. Says he: "When lower-class families don't have these options, the court has little alternative but to order a jail term."