An exploration of the extent and causes of racial and ethnic differences in violent crime.

Analysts have long noted that some societies have much higher rates of criminal violence than others. They have also observed that the risk of being a victim or a perpetrator of violent crime varies considerably from one individual to another. In societies with ethnically and racially diverse populations, some ethnic and racial groups have been reported to have higher rates of violent offending and victimization than other groups. This exceptional collection of original essays explores the extent and causes of racial and ethnic differences in violent crime in the United States and several other contemporary societies, including Canada, New Zealand, and England. The authors critically examine the credibility of the evidence of group differences in rates of violent crime and debate the merits of many of the popular theories that have been put forth to explain them.

Foreword James F. Short, Jr.
Introduction Darnell F. Hawkins
Part I. Homicide Studies: 1. Homicide risk and level of victimization in two concentrated poverty enclaves: a black/Hispanic comparison Harold M. Rose and Paula D. McClain
2. Moving beyond black and white: African American, Haitian and Latino homicides in Miami Ramiro Martinez, Jr.
3. Homicide in Los Angeles County: a study of Latino victimization Marc Riedel
4. Economic correlates of racial and ethnic disparity in homicide: Houston, 1945-1994 Victoria Brewer Titterington and Kelly R. Damphouse
5. The race, ethnicity, and poverty nexus of violent crime: reconciling differences in Chicago's community area homicide rates Calvin C. Johnson and Chanchalat Chanhatasilpa
Part II. Other Contexts, Settings and Forms of Violence: 6. Sanction effects, violence and Native American street youth Bill McCarthy and John Hagan
7. Ethnicity and interpersonal violence in a New Zealand birth cohort David M. Fergusson
8. Racial victimization in England and Wales Ben Bowling and Coretta Phillips
9. Race, gender and woman battering Evan Stark
10. Gender entrapment and African American women: an analysis of race, ethnicity, gender and intimate violence Beth E. Richie
Part III. Explaining Racial and Ethnic Differences: 11. How can the relationship between race and violence be explained David P. Farrington, Rolf Loeber and Magda Stouthamer-Loeber
12. Race effects and conceptual ambiguity in violence research: bringing inequality back in Marino A. Bruce and Vincent J. Roscigno
13. The violent black male: conceptions of race in criminological theories Jeanette Covington
14. The structural-cultural perspective: a theory of black male violence William Oliver
15. A cultural psychology framework for the study of African American morality and community violence Robert J. Jagers, Jacqueline Mattis and Katrina Walker
16. Racial discrimination and violence: a longitudinal perspective Joan McCord and Margaret E. Ensminger
17. Honor, class, and white southern violence: a historical perspective Frankie Y. Bailey.