Racial Mistrust and Disposition to Deviance Among African American, Haitian, and Other Caribbean Island Adolescent Boys

Using survey data from Miami, Florida, this study empirically tests whether racial mistrust is related to a willingness to engage in delinquent behaviors among a sample of African Americans, Haitians, and other Caribbean Island Black adolescent boys residing in Miami, Florida. No significant differences were found among the three groups with respect to their disposition scores. However, when compared to non-Blacks, African Americans and Haitians reported a greater willingness to violate the law. Bivariate analyses suggest a strong relationship between racial mistrust and disposition to deviance for all three ethnic groups. Three findings also held in multivariate analyses controlling for socioeconomic status.