Live data from Hacker News

Study: Half of black males, 40% of white males arrested by age 23

eurekalert.org

271–280 of 333 posts

Re: Study: Half of black males, 40% of white males arrested by age 23

#271
post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Curfew, the law that says you can't be outside after an arbitrarily dictated time. We had curfew laws in my country too. Mostly during German occupation, under World War II. I'm amazed people in the "land of the free" even have such a law...

Curfew laws are mostly aimed at children and don't apply to adults. Would you draw parallels between the government legislating that 'school-aged' children must go to school and the US decreeing that all Japanese people on the west coast must go to internment camps? Probably not.

Yep, I'd draw the parallel too. Why do you think it's ridiculous?

Re: Study: Half of black males, 40% of white males arrested by age 23

#272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, they were 18 between 1997 and 2008, so they were *born in the between 1979 and 1990, i.e., they were teenagers in the 90's or early 00's, same age as me (DOB 1983). "The study is an analysis of national survey data from 1997 to 2008 of teenagers and young adults, ages 18"

I guess we had different ideas of kids. This data is based on NLSY97, meaning the subjects were born between 1981 and 1985. [1] Still, doesn't that contradict your point about these results being based on a substantial difference from when you were a kid? As you point out, this study is based on exactly your cohort. Thus it's not a matter of policies nowadays leading to 40% arrest rates. That figure is based directly…

90's and 00's, yes, but it's become even more extreme. I was arrested a couple of times as a teenager, but if I had done half the things as a teen now that I did back then I would probably have spent my formative years in juvie.

I'm just saying, the trend is there. More and more kids get arrested for what I would argue is petty stuff that most kids do.

Re: Study: Half of black males, 40% of white males arrested by age 23

#273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curfews? That sounds like something out of a police state. I did not know the US had curfew laws.

The U.S. is overly protective of children and young adults. We can't drink alcohol until 21 and many cities have curfew laws for kids up to the age of 16 or so. My city has a curfew for those 16 and under. They can't be out after 11 pm during the week and after 12:30 am on weekends.

Well, I don't know; why are 15 year olds walking the streets at 1 a.m.? Something is wrong there 99.99% of the time. I don't think they should be arrested though, just returned home. I had cuffs thrown on me for curfew when I was 16 or so. No arrest, but seriously, cuffed and thrown into a pen.

Re: Study: Half of black males, 40% of white males arrested by age 23

#275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess we had different ideas of kids. This data is based on NLSY97, meaning the subjects were born between 1981 and 1985. [1] Still, doesn't that contradict your point about these results being based on a substantial difference from when you were a kid? As you point out, this study is based on exactly your cohort. Thus it's not a matter of policies nowadays leading to 40% arrest rates. That figure is based directly…

90's and 00's, yes, but it's become even more extreme. I was arrested a couple of times as a teenager, but if I had done half the things as a teen now that I did back then I would probably have spent my formative years in juvie. I'm just saying, the trend is there. More and more kids get arrested for what I would argue is petty stuff that most kids do.

> I'm just saying, the trend is there. More and more kids get arrested for what I would argue is petty stuff that most kids do.

I don't disagree. I wholeheartedly abhor the criminalization of the current educational discipline regime.

My only point is that unfortuntely this study is not itself sufficient to comment on that ridiculous escalation, given its use of decades-old data.

Re: Study: Half of black males, 40% of white males arrested by age 23

#276
post #254
post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They can really arrested you for drinking as a minor? In here a bar can get into trouble if they sell you a drink, but your only trouble are parents if they ever find out. And I remember that 18-19 years old Americans I knew indeed used to drink (and get wasted too).

As always in the U.S., it depends on the state and city where you live. But I'm pretty positive there are cities where it's actually illegal for a person to be drinking underage. Knowing some of our cities, mere possession of an open container by itself might be enough. However as you note, that hasn't really stopped teenage drinking...

When I was in college, some dorm buddies of mine got caught drinking on a public beach at night, were arrested, and charged with "minor in possession." I'm pretty sure this was a state law, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't widespread.

Re: Study: Half of black males, 40% of white males arrested by age 23

#277
post #159
post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except that actual violence comitted by teens is going down.

That could be taken as an argument that police intervention in schoolyard violence works. My point isn't that schools are more violent, but that we're correctly identifying that managing school violence is not part of the teacher role , and simply ignoring it as "boys will be boys" isn't good either.

It could, but the time period violent crime has been going down and the period that saw far more cops in schools don't completely overlap.

Re: Study: Half of black males, 40% of white males arrested by age 23

#278
post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry if I misunderstand your point, but are you saying that the US is a police state because they wouldn't allow you to drive drunk (endangering other people) or with a gun in your car? I think it is a good thing that it hasn't hurt your ability to get employment since these things are not related, but I still don't understand the police state connection. What changes are you proposing? That everyone should be able…

At least regarding the "loaded gun" incident - there's a much better choice besides "arrest him" and "ignore it". How about a fine? Arrests should be limited to just the people who are a flight or safety risk.

Carrying a loaded gun in your car is perfectly legal in Virginia without a permit. Many other states allow for car carry of loaded handguns - it's really not a big deal.

Re: Study: Half of black males, 40% of white males arrested by age 23

#279
post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an outsider that seems incredibly wrong. The answer to youth gangs is not more security. Perform a root cause analysis and go back to the fact that kids often fall into gangs because parents are not around (working double jobs), they are stuck in poverty with an easy out (crime). It saddens me to read about solving youth problems by attacking the symptoms rather than the cause. Though I understand why, fixing the…

If poverty were relevant, Colorado would have zero gangs.

Colorado has zero poverty?

Re: Study: Half of black males, 40% of white males arrested by age 23

#280
post #101

Any ideas how this compares to other nations?

Slightly different, but surely related: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_incarceration_rat... Getting on for nearly 1 in 1,000 people in jail! wow!

Worse, nearly 1 in 100.
Post reply on HN