1 in 2 Black Men, 4 in 10 White Men Arrested by Age 23: Study

A new study compares the arrest rates of Americans between 18 and 23 years of age, and finds significant differences when it comes to gender and race.

In a study published in the journal Crime & Delinquency, researchers from the University of South Carolina used data from the U.S. Department of Labor to evaluate the arrest rates of young adults. Their research suggests that young males are at least twice as likely as their female counterparts to be arrested between the ages of 18 and 23.

What else does this new study reveal?

Male Arrest Rates Jump From 18 to 23

According to the study, the arrest rate for American males increases significantly from age 18 to age 23. Researchers examined different racial groups and found:

• 30 percent of non-Hispanic black males had been arrested by age 18. That figure jumped to 49 percent by age 23.
• 26 percent of Hispanic males had been arrested by age 18. That jumped to 44 percent by age 23.
• 22 percent of non-black, non-Hispanic (white) males had been arrested by age 18. That jumped to 38 percent by age 23.

Across all racial groups, the study suggests that arrest rate increases nearly 60 percent for males from age 18 to 23.

Consistent with other studies looking at arrest rates along racial lines in America, the study seems to illuminate the much higher exposure that young black males have with the criminal justice system than their white or Hispanic peers.

No Significant Difference Among Female Racial Groups

Although the study supports a marked difference between arrests young males by race, there was little significant difference between female racial groups.

According to researchers, white females had the highest arrest rate of all female racial groups at age 18 (12 percent), with Hispanic and black females trailing by less than a percentage point.

And while the prevalence of arrest did increase by age for young females in all racial groups, even at age 23, the highest arrest percentage was 20 percent (for white females).

So if men are indeed more likely to go to court than women, perhaps it's because women are far less likely to be arrested in their early years.

Related Resources:

• In The US, Half Of All Black Males And 40% Of All White Males Are Arrested By Age 23, A New Study Reveals (International Business Times)
• Racial Justice Act: 3 Death Sentences Voided (FindLaw's Blotter)
• Does Race Affect Small Business Funding? (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
• More US Women Paying Child Support, Alimony (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)