Race/Ethnicity and Justice in Academia

• DOI: 10.1177/2153368717696162
• Date: 01 April 2017
• Published date: 01 April 2017
• Subject Matter: Introduction

Introduction

Race/Ethnicity and Justice

in Academia

Jesenia M. Pizarro

1

Race and ethnicity are common themes in criminology and criminal justice. Research

has consistently shown that African Americans and other racial/ethnic minorities,

such as Latinos, are overrepresented as victims and offenders in violent crime when

compared to Caucasians (Sampson, Morenoff, & Raudenbush, 2005). Consequently,

they are also overrepresented in the arrestee and prison populations (Walker, Spohn,

& DeLone, 2012). Relatedly, studies have also demonstrated an intersectionality

effect in which race, ethnicity, gender, and social class affect criminal behavior and

the response by criminal justice agencies (Barak, Flavin, & Leighton, 2001; Spohn &

Holleran, 2000). Specifically, African American males who are of low economic

standing are more likely to be victims and offenders of crime and are also more likely

to be represented in criminal justice agencies as arrestees and inmates. Given the

importance of race and ethnicity, criminologists spend a lot of time examining how

these variables affect criminal behavior, victimization, and the response by criminal

justice institutions, and a plethora of research has accumulated that explore these

issues and their consequences.

Although criminologists recognize the importance of race/ethnicity in the expla-

nation of criminality and response by criminal justice agencies, an area that is seldom

examined is the effect of race/ethnicity, and their intersection with gender and social

class, on the lives of academics who study these issues or members of the racial/ethnic

gender minorities in academia. Studying these issues is important given the sparse, yet

growing, population of faculty of color in criminology and criminal justice. Within

criminology and criminal justice programs, racial minorities comprise a mere 16.5%

of the faculty, with non-Latino Blacks accounting for approximately 6.2%and Latinos

2.7%(Association of Doctoral Programs in Criminology and Criminal Justice

[ADPCCJ], 2016). The racial minority population in criminology and criminal justice

programs, however, is expected to significantly increase, given that approximately

1

School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA

Corresponding Author:

Jesenia M. Pizarro, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University, Mail Code 4420,

411 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA.

Email: jesenia.pizarro@asu.edu

Race and Justice

2017, Vol. 7(2) 107-109

ªThe Author(s) 2017

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DOI: 10.1177/2153368717696162

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