Centering Race in the Study of Crime and Criminal Justice

• Author: María B. Vélez,Rod K. Brunson
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00224278221120586
• Published date: 01 February 2023
• Date: 01 February 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

Centering Race in the

Study of Crime and

Criminal Justice

María B. Vélez

1

and Rod K. Brunson

1

Keywords

race/ethnicity, crime, criminal justice

A compelling body of work documents the role of race and racism in

shaping crime and legal system outcomes (Braga, Brunson and Drakulich

2019; Du Bois 1899; Muhammed 2010; Peterson and Krivo 2005, 2010;

Petersen and Ward 2015; Sampson and Wilson 1995). Though a signif‌icant

and longstanding interest in criminology since its American beginning, this

scholarship is often relegated to the margins (but see the scholarly agenda of

the Racial Democracy Crime and Justice Network).

1

Recent high prof‌ile

events of ghastly police brutality such as the murders of George Floyd,

Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown, and many other unarmed civilians bring

into sharp focus how Blacks (and other racialized groups) repeatedly bear

the brunt of systemic racism. These horrif‌ic incidents and the attendant

public outcry, especially in initial support for Black Lives Matter (BLM),

have also served as a catalyst for mainstream criminology to reckon with

the role historic and modern day racism plays in shaping crime and social

control outcomes. Contemporary, high-prof‌ile tragedies along with robust

1

Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland, College, MD, USA

Corresponding Author:

María B. Vélez, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland, 2145

Samuel LeFrak Hall, College, MD, 20742, USA.

Email: velezmb@umd.edu

Thematic Issue: Centering Race in the Study of Crime and Criminal Justice

Journal of Research in Crime and

Delinquency

2023, Vol. 60(1) 3–13

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/00224278221120586

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