Family structure and race in a sample of criminal offenders

✍ Scribed by Vic W. Bumphus; James F. Anderson

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 58 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0047-2352
• DOI: 10.1016/s0047-2352(99)00007-0

✦ Synopsis

Seen through social control and social learning perspectives, family structure is assumed to have little effect on criminal behavior, while family functioning factors have comparatively strong effects. This investigation posited that family structure, when measured dichotomously ("intact" versus "broken" homes), misrepresents contemporary family arrangements, especially with regard to racial and cultural differences. The study utilized a multidimensional measurement of family structure and relates it to several categories of criminal behavior. Research findings suggested that traditional measures of family structure relate more to the criminal patterns of Caucasians than to those of African Americans or Hispanics.