Alaska Native Inmates: The Demographic Relationship Between Upbringing And Crime

Abstract

The Alaska Native population, like many other minority populations, is disproportionately represented in the correctional system. Alaska Natives represent between 30% and 40% of the state’s inmate population at any given point in time. The disproportionate occurrence of social maladies, including criminal activity, in Native American populations has been partially attributed to cultural conflict that induces anomie, social disorganization, and personal disorganization. This article examines the existence of relationships between where inmates have been raised and the crimes they committed as adults and whether the effects and occurrence of cultural conflict varies according to the rural or urban nature of their upbringing. The results suggest that the effects of cultural conflict are most pronounced in rural Alaskan communities.