Severity Matters: The Moderating Effect of Offense Severity in Predicting Racial Differences in Reporting of Bias and Nonbias Victimization to the Police

Objective: Previous research has noted contradictory findings regarding race and police notification, such that Black people indicate higher levels of distrust in the police yet report victimization to the police at rates similar to or higher than others. We investigated the role of offense severity in accounting for these discrepancies. Hypotheses: We hypothesized that severity would moderate racial differences in reporting, such that Black victims would be less likely to report less severe victimization but more likely to report more severe victimization. We expected that these differences would be less pronounced for bias-motivated crime, regardless of other markers of severity. Method: We used data from the 2003-2016 National Crime Victimization Survey, including information on 21,510 victimization incidents, 1,105 of which were hate crimes. We conducted logistic regression analyses in which reporting was regressed on victim race, offense severity, hate crime status, and control variables. We also examined interactive effects to disentangle whether severity moderated racial differences in notification. Results: We observed a three-way interaction of Black victims, offense severity, and hate crime status. Specifically, for nonbias incidents, Black victims were more likely than White victims to report severe incidents, but there was no racial difference in reporting nonsevere incidents. Additionally, for nonsevere incidents, Black victims were more likely than White victims to report hate crimes, but there was no racial difference in reporting nonhate crimes. Conclusions: Offense severity plays an important role in the victim decision-making process. These patterns are different, however, by race and for hate crime victims, suggesting that people perceive hate crimes as important to report, regardless of their severity. Public Significance Statement This study links victims' decisions to notify the police to the broader context of race relations in the United States, finding that racial differences in reporting behavior vary according to differences in offense severity. The patterns we observed suggest the importance of encouraging the reporting of less severe victimization, while also indicating the need to engage with concerns regarding police legitimacy and the potential for poor treatment by police.

Automated summary

This study reveals differences in reporting behavior by race, particularly in relation to offense severity, with Black victims more likely to report severe incidents and hate crimes compared to White victims. These findings highlight the importance of encouraging reporting of less severe victimization while addressing concerns about police legitimacy and treatment.