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Several studies have examined the relationship between racial threat (measured by the size of black population) and social control imposed on blacks, but evidence of this hypothesis has been mixed. Although dependency on percent black as the main indicator of racial threat in many studies has contributed to the inconsistency in findings, we argue that this literature has also neglected to consider other important conceptual and methodological issues. Using 2000 census and arrest data, we estimate the impact of multiple measures of racial economic threat, such as the size of the black population, racial inequality and black immigration patterns on black arrest rates. Furthermore, by integrating racial competition and race‐relations arguments, we examine how the concentration of black disadvantage may temper the extent to which blacks pose a threat to white interests. Our findings reveal important and conceptually distinct relationships between racial threat, concentrated disadvantage and the use of social control against blacks, particularly when compared to white arrests.

Objective. Life–course researchers suggest that changes in local life circumstances explain changes in criminal activity in adulthood. Although the extent to which local life circumstances propel offenders toward/away from criminal behavior is a subject of considerable debate, the issue of race has largely been ignored. The objective in this research is to incorporate race into a life–course perspective that examines the influence of changes in life circumstances on changes in criminal activity. Methods. This objective is met by using longitudinal data on 524 parolees released from the California Youth Authority (CYA) who were followed for seven consecutive years after release. Results. The results suggest that changes in local life circumstances are related to changes in criminal activity, but do not eliminate the race/crime relationship for violence. At the same time, the effect of local life circumstances on criminal activity appears more similar than different across race, with the exception that common–law marriages are crime–generating among nonwhites as compared to whites. Conclusions. Because race continues to be associated with criminal activity over the life course, future research should increase efforts to better understand how race might condition life circumstances when influencing criminal activity. Implications of these findings for life–course theory are discussed.

Life-course researchers suggest that changes in local life circumstances explain changes in criminal activity in adulthood. Although the extent to which local life circumstances propel offenders toward/away from criminal behavior is a subject of considerable debate, the issue of race has largely been ignored. The objective in this research is to incorporate race into a life-course perspective that examines the influence of changes in life circumstances on changes in criminal activity. This objective is met by using longitudinal data on 524 parolees released from the California Youth Authority (CYA) who were followed for seven consecutive years after release. The results suggest that changes in local life circumstances are related to changes in criminal activity, but do not eliminate the race/crime relationship for violence. At the same time, the effect of local life circumstances on criminal activity appears more similar than different across race, with the exception that common-law marriages are crime-generating among nonwhites as compared to whites. Because race continues to be associated with criminal activity over the life course, future research should increase efforts to better understand how race might condition life circumstances when influencing criminal activity. Implications of these findings for life-course theory are discussed. 4 Tables, 44 References. Adapted from the source document.

This article examines and compares the advantages of employing logistic and hazards regression techniques in assessing both the overall impact of a treatment program and the extent to which the impact varies among different client subgroups. Data gathered from the North Carolina Court Counselors' Intensive Protective Supervision Project provides a context for the application of these statistical techniques to assess this program's effectiveness. This experimental project was designed topnovide intensive supervision for status offenders who are placed under the protective supervision of the juvenile courts in North Carolina. It is found that, although intensive supervision had the desired impact of reducing the probability of delinquent offenses during the early (first year and a half) phase of the project, this effect deteriorated over the full three and a half years of the experiment. In addition, the hazards regression analysis shows that youths under intensive supervtsion failed (recidivated with status or delinquent offenses) at a more rapid rate than those under regular supervision. Implications are drawn for the management and effectiveness of intensive supervision programs.

In this article, the authors argue for the importance of a contextualized examination of racial profiling. Although the study of racial profiling has only begun, existing studies have typically examined this phenomenon at the state level and based on total population information gathered from high-patrol agencies. The authors argue that racial profiling is best understood within the spatial context of local areas rather than large geographical areas. The purpose of this article is to explore some theoretical avenues to investigating racial profiling within the community context by linking racial profiling to theoretical perspectives that highlight community-level processes. That is, the authors apply theories such as social disorganization, urban disadvantage/deprivation, and Sampson's community development and spatial diffusion arguments to the incident of racial profiling. The authors then illustrate the utility of exploring these linkages by providing information on crimes and structural dimensions in Miami-Dade County neighborhoods.