There are two mechanisms that may link segregation to higher levels of violent crime among young people in predominantly black urban neighborhoods, ascriptive inequality and social isolation. Segregation is a central expression of racial inequality and such inequality has long been linked to heightened violence. Both inequality and social isolation provide theoretical reasons for expecting racial segregation to be linked to criminal violence in urban communities. Both explanations also suggest racial minorities will be the groups most affected by residential segregation. However, there is relatively little research evaluating these arguments and current understanding of the relative validity of theoretical explanations is limited. The need for additional research on segregation and youth criminal violence is emphasized. 69 references and 2 endnotes