The article to be reviewed is “A theory of African American Offending: A test of core Propositions” by James D. Unnever of the Department of Criminology at the University of Florida. The article was published in 2014 and is a research-based article meaning that it follows the standard research outlines. The research subheadings are as follows: the abstract, black offending, racial discrimination and black offending, stereotypes and black offending, low self-control and black offending, research strategy, data, measures, data, results, measures, declaration of conflicts of interest, funding and finally notes. The article’s main aim is to study is to do a test of the hypothesis by Unnever and Gabbion, which is the Theory of African offending. The theory focuses on only blacks and focuses on the level at which black people encounter instances of racial injustices. The theory highlights two parts of racial injustice, which are discrimination and racial stereotypes. The population under study is 3570 blacks, which are included in the National Survey of American Life and uses various methodologies to achieve the study’s required success. The study results show that the blacks who are victims of racial discrimination eventually get the mentality that they are violent and hence, more likely to be involved in a crime. According to the article, the reason behind this is that after some time here, one experiences racial injustice, third self-control takes a beating, and they become susceptible to fits of anger and depression. Also, experiences with racial injustice drive the blacks towards drugs and substance abuse, which can lead to their arrests if abused. The research also takes note of other reasons that may cause a black person to become arrested, such as the number of their relatives who are incarcerated and their strength of family bonds.
The purpose of doing the research was accomplished. The main aim of the study was to test the Unnever and Gabion hypothesis. The study looked at the core aspects of the Unnever and Gabbion theory and did an excellent job of explaining exactly what they were and how the theories work. Giving the reader a snapshot of what exactly the research entails, the authors of the study can draw in the audience to the problem they are looking to research. The Gabbidon and Unnever theory assumes that the blacks normally look at the United States as a largely races counter. The research takes this into account as one part that is crucial to get the most optimal results. The research used credible numbers provided by the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) to get their study subjects, made up of 3570 blacks. The study used face to home-based face interviews. The research findings pointed to success as the study managed to answer questions that the research looked to answer. The study proved most of the core hypotheses in the Unnerve and Gabon theory as correct and proved that indeed the experiences of black citizens with racial injustices are more likely to offend as they have the mentality that they are violent. The study also reveals that persons venially experience feelings of low self-esteem, anger, and depression.
The author states that more research should be done on what is missing in the discipline in various aspects related to the Gabbison and Unnever theory. The study tested the hypothesis in some ways but could only do so much. The author states that more research should be done on the theory and how it relates to gender. The other factors include an in-depth look at how racial discrimination and the resulting internalization of the stereotypes affect those who reside in hypersegregated communities. Furthermore, further research should be done on the Unnever and Gabbidon theory’s policy implications and how it affects the black community. Another thing that is missing is the adaptation of the Unnever and Gabbidon theory amd how the theory affects individuals instead of the masses. The radicalized view typically affects individuals, and therefore it is necessary to look further into ways in which the view can be replaced with a more positive outlook.
The author critics other criminological theories, such as Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general crime theory, which states that the cause of crime for an individual is the lack of self-control. The theory further states that ineffective parenting can cause the degradation of self-control. However, the theory fails to acknowledge that black experiences are also part of why black children have less self-control. The Gottefedson general crime theory is entirely compatible with the theory that the author proposes in the research. Another theory is the psychological theory of crime, which postulates that the causes of crime lie in the psychology of the crime doer. The theory can relate to this proposal since the experiences of racial discrimination and segregation may predispose some individuals to violence. The Gabbinson and Unnever theory. Other theories that influence the Unnever and Gabbidon theory on black offending are the general strain theory, which comes in when black people experience pressures from racial segregation and discrimination, which increases their anger predisposing them to crime. Another theory that the author cites as inspiration is the learning theory whereby blacks associate with other delinquents, leading to crime.
The research will change the way the study of crime and delinquency is studied. According to the authors, such research involving testing of the Gabbinson and Unnever theory had never been tested until the research came out. The study results will provide new insight into the crime theory, especially where black crime is involved. The increased understanding of where black crime comes originates from will be crucial in understanding future crime occurrences. The research is just but an example of many other pieces of research that will improve the study of crime. The authors logically present the research-backed up by evidence cited from other authors and data collected on the ground. The explanations are given the appeal to a scholarly reader; therefore, their explanations are not far from other authors who may have researched a similar topic.
Such research that focuses on one minority group is essential to focus on why a particular issue affects a particular minority. Minorities are usually the most ignored in any society, and the same is true in the United States. When it comes to crime, minorities, especially blacks, suffer the punishment due to them being misunderstood; explanations that are specific such as the ones provided in the research, may help law enforcement and judges, as well as the entire society, lift the prejudice that they may have for a particular minority. Also, having more professionals who are from the minority will make a difference. Minorities will have more power in terms of decision making.
Furthermore, more minority representation will remove the thought that the system is against the minority. The research provides a scope into understanding why the Black Lives Movement exists. Black people find themselves at the wrong end of the criminal justice system, from being brutalized and targeted by the police to having unfair judgments placed on them by the court. The first step towards uplifting the minorities is first to gain information on their situation. The research aims at doing just that, providing information in the form of research.