Race and the Decision to Arrest: An Analysis of Warrants Issued

Abstract

Both the conflict perspective and the labeling perspective provide a the oretical base for the hypothesis that nonwhites are more likely than whites to be arrested on less than sufficient evidence. All 1974 adult arrests (N = 28,- 235) in a large midwestern city are analyzed to assess the relationship between race and the subsequent issuance of a warrant by the prosecutor's office. Con trols for type of offense, age, sex, and racial composition of neighborhood are introduced, yet nonwhites continue to have a larger proportion of arrests which are not upheld by the issuance of a warrant. These results are discussed in terms of the conflict and labeling perspectives.