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Racial Bias in Case Processing: Does Victim Race Affect Police Clearance of Violent Crime Incidents?

NCJ Number
228160
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2009 Pages: 562-591
Author(s)
Terrance J. Taylor; David Holleran; Volkan Topalli
Date Published
September 2009
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This study examined the role of victim race on the likelihood that police would clear violent crimes, explored the possibility that effects of victim race on police case clearance might be conditioned by other factors, particularly offender race, and discussed ways in which history and current practice shape perceptions of fairness and legitimacy among African-Americans and society in general.
Abstract
The results of this study suggest that the race of the victim, particularly in combination with the race of the offender, was related to police clearance of violent criminal incidents. However, this relationship was not as strong as those between agency, offense type, and situational characteristics of the incident. Previous studies have illustrated racial differences in perceptions of police legitimacy. However, African-American views, shaped by perceptions of over-enforcement of crimes committed by African-American offenders and under-enforcement of crimes involving African-American victims, appeared complex. This study extended research examining police clearance of criminal cases as one potential explanation of African-Americans' less favorable attitudes toward the police. The primary question was whether the race of the victim in a criminal case affected the likelihood that it would be cleared by police. Data used in the study were collected from law enforcement agencies as part of the 2002 National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). Tables and references