Foreword

• Author: Jacinta M. Gau
• DOI: 10.1177/2153368718802402
• Published date: 01 October 2018
• Date: 01 October 2018
• Subject Matter: Foreword

Foreword

Jacinta M. Gau, (Co-Editor-in-Chief)

University of Central Florida

The editors and staff at Race and Justice: An International Journal are excited about

this final issue of the year. Volume 8, issue 4 contains four items. First, weare pleased

to publish a continuation in the Future Directions Series. This unique series features

articles by experts who have identified particular areas in their field of study that rep-

resent the new horizon for research. Previous Future Directions articles have examined

the way social media has altered the scholarly study of police–minority relations

(Hockin & Brunson, 2018 in volume 8, issue 3) and upcoming ones will address the

need to focus on how the currentclimate of concern about school safety may adversely

impact immigrant children (Peguero & Bondy, 2017). In the current issue, Peck (2018)

highlights ongoing problems in states’ adherence to federal mandates to reduce dis-

proportionate minority contact (DMC) in the juvenile-justice system. Peck identifies

specific activities on which states lag behind, and calls on academics to direct their

attention toward identifying the ways in which these gaps affect DMC.

Second in the issue, Stoia, Adams, and Drakulich (2018) revisit the controversial

and as-yet understudied practice of admitting rap lyrics into evidence against defen-

dants during criminal trials. The debate revolves around whether the violence

embedded in some rap lyrics should be treated literally (representing songwriters’

actual desire to engage in violence) or figuratively (a stylistic use of violence as a

symbol or as a stock-in-trade feature of the genre). Stoia, Adams, and Drakulich adopt

the concept of lyric formulas as their framework for analyzing song lyrics across

genres. They conclude that the violent acts woven into rap lyrics are typically

metaphorical, are often used as expressions of rage against wrongdoers over whom the

songwriter cannot exert any actual influence, and are frequently an effort to brag about

the songwriters’ (actual or perceived) bravery and physical prowess.

Third, Gaston and Eggleston Doherty (2018) offer an empirical test of hypotheses

derived from Unnever and Gabbidon’s theory of African-American offending. Gaston

and Eggleston Doherty note that part of this theory hinges on the notion that positive

ethnic-racial socialization prevents offending among black Americans who are oth-

erwise at risk for engaging in crime. The authors put this theoretical prediction to

empirical test to determine if, among black youth, positive ethnic-racial socialization

buffers the impact of weak school bonds on substance abuse in adolescence and

criminal offending as adults. Analyses of longitudinal data reveal that the predicted

buffering effects appear to operate among male youth, but not among females. This

interesting pattern of (gendered) partial support for the theory of African-American

offending lends itself to implications for policy and avenues for future research to

Race and Justice

2018, Vol. 8(4) 303-304

ªThe Author(s) 2018

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DOI: 10.1177/2153368718802402

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