Disproportionately Punished, Yet Still Neglected: Variation in Official Police Responses to American Indian/Alaska Native Offending and Victimization

Abstract

Objectives While a great deal of research has considered racial disparities in the criminal justice system, empirical research on the American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) population is still in its infancy. Instead, AIAN people are most often grouped in the “other race” category. In this research, we move beyond this categorization and advance research by considering differential handling of AIAN-involved violent crime. Methods We use 2016 NIBRS data—including information on 5,740 AIAN victims and 6,591 AIAN suspects—to examine variation in the likelihood of clearance by arrest and variation in these patterns according to victim race, offender race, and offense type. Results Results indicate that incidents involving AIAN suspects and White victims are especially likely to result in arrest, but incidents involving AIAN suspects and AIAN victims are less likely to result in arrest. AIAN sexual assault victimization is particularly unlikely to result in arrest. Conclusions The AIAN population is both disproportionately arrested when suspected of crime, and disproportionately neglected when victimized. If we wish to better understand the role of race in the criminal justice, it is imperative that we move beyond simple Black-White dichotomies, and begin centering attention on other marginalized populations, including the AIAN population, as well.