Citation

LaFree GD. Am. J. Sociol. 1982; 88(2): 311-328.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1982, University of Chicago Press)

DOI

10.1086/227673

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Previous research in criminology assumes that rape is primarily an intra-racial phenomenon. But empirical studies since the late 1950s have shown substantially higher rates of black offender-white victim (BW) than white offender-black victim rape. The present study tested two models of BW rape on a set of 443 rape victimizations collected by the National Crime Panel from 1973 to 1977. The normative model interprets BW rape as a correlate of increased social interaction between black men and white women. The conflict model interprets BW rape as a correlate of increased black politicalization. The results did not support the normative model and only partially supported the conflict model. Discriminant analysis showed that the characteristics of victims were unrelated to BW rapes and the BW rapes were less likely than other rapes to follow legitimate social interaction between the victim and offender. By contrast, BW rapes were no more violent than black or white intra-racial rapes. Implications for a sexual stratification theory of interracial rape are discussed.