Victim and Suspect Race and the Police Clearance of Sexual Assault

Abstract

Research testing the sexual stratification hypothesis has reached mixed conclusions about the relationship between victim and offender race and sexual assault case outcomes. Using data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System, we examine the relationship between the victim–suspect racial dyad and the odds of sexual assault case clearance, and whether the case was cleared via arrest versus an exceptional means clearance for reasons of declined prosecution or victim non-cooperation. The findings indicate little support for the sexual stratification hypothesis. Under certain circumstances, the victim–suspect racial dyad has a modest relationship with the odds of clearance and the manner in which cases are cleared. When the victim and offender are strangers, an arrest is less likely in White-on-Black assaults versus Black-on-White assaults. Further, an arrest is less likely in Black-on-Black family assaults because victims in these cases are less likely to cooperate with police, implying that Black victims’ reluctance or inability to cooperate with police plays an important and overlooked role in producing racial disparities in clearance and arrest outcomes in certain types of cases.