A Comparative Study of White, Asian American and Other non-White men and Women Under Community Supervision

Abstract

Data from community-living offenders were examined to compare socioeconomic demographics of Whites and non-Whites with Asian Americans, and to examine how race and gender moderate the predictive power of substance use in accounting for corrections involvement. Face-to-face interviews were conducted for 192 participants in Oregon. Men displayed higher rates of substance use and corrections involvement than women. Participating non-White men and women both experienced significantly higher rates of incarceration than White counterparts; rates for Asian-American men were similar to other men of color. With regard to employment, once again, non-White men and women were significantly more likely to be unemployed or under employed (fewer than 20 h per week). Asian-American men reported higher education levels, but fewer hours employed. All of the men consumed alcohol at high rates, but Asian-American men were arrested and convicted less often than other men for alcohol related offenses. A critical limitation to the study was the small of number of Asian-American women participants and therefore an inability to conduct specific statistical tests for this subgroup. Findings fill a gap in forensic research and practice regarding adult offenders of color.