Family structure and race in a sample of criminal offenders

Seen through social control and social learning perspectives, family struct ure is assumed to have little effect on criminal behavior, while family fun ctioning factors have comparatively strong effects. This investigation posi ted that family structure, when measured dichotomously ("intact" versus "br oken" homes), misrepresents contemporary family arrangements, especially wi th regard to racial and cultural differences. The study utilized a multidim ensional measurement of family structure and relates it to several categori es of criminal behavior Research findings suggested that traditional measur es of family structure relate more to the criminal patterns of Caucasians t han to those of African Americans or Hispanics. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science L td. All rights reserved.