Is It True That White Youth Violence Is Premeditated & Black Youth Violence Is Random?

Dear Sticky Wicket:

Is there any sociological basis to the perception that both black and white youth are growing increasingly violent? Is it true that white youth seem to plan their violent acts (like Columbine and other school shootings), while black youth commit random acts of violence in their communities?

~Conflicted in Alaska

Dear Conflicted In Alaska,

If you judge by what you see and hear on the news, in songs and video games it would be hard not to believe that youth culture is becoming increasingly violent. And there appears to be no rhyme or reason for these unfortunate acts.

But toss in the issue of race and there becomes a perception of reason. Youthful black violence, identified with drive by shootings, is seen as being more impulsive. Violence among white youths on the other hand, which are typified by school shootings and Internet bullying, appears to be more premeditated and calculated.

Opinions vary among a few experts. Lisa Smith, a professor of clinical law at the Brooklyn Law School in New York, says that it is popular to blame the media for this difference in perception. Many people feel the news media focuses more on crimes in which there are nonminority victims. But in reality, all crime is about motive and opportunity she adds.

“There are different criminal opportunities in urban, suburban, and rural areas, which also affects the types of crimes and the types of perpetrators,” Smith says. The ease with which anyone, not just young people, can gain access to firearms is also part of the issue. While it is true that some of the higher publicity crimes like Columbine were perpetrated by young white men, there are many pre-meditated robberies, homicides, and assaults unfortunately perpetrated by young men of all ethnicities.”

Alicia Bonaparte, an assistant professor of sociology at Pitzer College in Claremont, CA, explains there are strong differences in the type of crimes committed by black and white youth. This discrepancy is due in part to racial bias within the criminal justice system.

“Columbine and other incidents like it are largely esoteric in nature, and signs of deep psychological stress, whereas youth violence in urban areas is a by-product of social disorganization,” Bonaparte says. “Moreover, there is also the issue of many crimes committed by whites not being reported by police officers due to racist bias within the criminal justice system, while areas that are predominately populated by blacks tend to be heavily policed.”

Frederick Reamer, a professor at the Rhode Island School of Social Work, says the belief that youth violence is increasing is a misconception because statistics show that violent crime among youth is in a decline.

Reamer cited information on the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice, and Delinquency Prevention website, which shows that according to statistics, there were 288 arrests for Violent Crime Index offenses for every 100,000 youth between 10 and 17 years of age. That is a substantial decrease from 1994 with more than 500 arrests per 100,000 youth.

“I think you will find random and planned acts of violence among both white and black youths,” Reamer says.

He adds that focusing primarily on nationally known cases like the Columbine shootings might be misleading. “They are extraordinarily rare but horrifying events,” he says. “Most acts of violence never find their way into broad media coverage because legal proceedings in juvenile court are confidential, with rare exceptions.”