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Title: Examining Racial Disparities in Drug Arrests
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Mitchell, Ojmarrh
Caudy, Michael S.
Examining Racial Disparities in Drug Arrests
Justice Quarterly 32,2 (2015): 288-313.
Also: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07418825.2012.761721#abstract
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
Keyword(s): Arrests; Crime; Drug Use; Racial Differences

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

The War on Drugs popularized a set of policies and practices that dramatically increased the number of drug arrests, particularly for low-level drug offenses. The War's tactics have affected Americans of every race; however, minorities have been most dramatically affected. There are several explanations for the observed racial disparity in drug arrests, but relatively little research directly tests these explanations. In this study, we test three common explanations of racial disparities in drug arrest rates. We find that racial disparities in drug arrests cannot be explained by differences in drug offending, nondrug offending, or residing in the kinds of neighborhoods likely to have heavy police emphasis on drug offending. Our findings are most consistent with explanations focusing on racial bias in drug sanctions.
Bibliography Citation
Mitchell, Ojmarrh and Michael S. Caudy. "Examining Racial Disparities in Drug Arrests." Justice Quarterly 32,2 (2015): 288-313.