U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Hispanic Victims and Homicide Clearance by Arrest

NCJ Number
233856
Journal
Homicide Studies Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2011 Pages: 48-73
Author(s)
Aki Roberts; Christopher J. Lyons
Date Published
February 2011
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This study examined racial and/or ethnic disparity in homicide arrest clearance outcomes among White, African-American, and Hispanic victims using event history (survival) analysis of data from multiple agencies across the United States.
Abstract
When applied to homicide clearance by arrest, the victim-devaluing perspective posits that police favor highersocial status victims by allocating greater investigative effort to their cases. Previous studies have measured social status via a dichotomous race variable (White vs. African-American, White vs. non-White, or non-Hispanic White vs. racial/ethnic minority). As the Hispanic population grows in the United States, it is increasingly important to extend homicide clearance research beyond the traditional questions of dichotomous racial/ethnic differences. Using 2000-2007 homicide data from agencies that report victim's ethnicity to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), the current study examines the impact of victim's race/ethnicity on homicide clearance by arrest via a trichomotous measure (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic African-American, or Hispanic). Event history analysis found that, controlling for other incident characteristics, homicides with Hispanic victims had a lower risk of clearance by arrest than those with non-Hispanic White or non-Hispanic African-American victims. (Published Abstract) Tables, figure, appendix, notes, and references