Victimization of Minorities

The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics has found that certain population groups—the poor, younger persons, males, African-Americans, Hispanics, and residents of inner cities—are more likely to be victimized and are more vulnerable to violence than other groups. As discussed in other chapters of this book, African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely to be poor and to be unemployed than are whites. These factors put minorities at an especially high risk of being victimized.

Violent Crimes

African-Americans are more likely than individuals of other races to be victims of violent crimes. According to 2002 statistics released by the U.S. Department of Justice, for every 1,000 persons in each racial group there were twenty-eight violent crimes committed against African-Americans, twenty-three committed against whites, and fifteen against persons of other races. During 2002 Hispanics were victimized at a rate of twenty-four per 1,000, down 56 percent from fifty-five per...