Impact of Multiple Minority Statuses: An Examination of Violent Victimization, Police Reporting and Perception of Police Bias
| Published date | 01 April 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/25166069241241155 |
| Author | Rhissa Briones Robinson,Flavia Mandatori,Gabriel R. Paez |
| Date | 01 April 2024 |
Impact of Multiple
Minority Statuses:
An Examination of
Violent Victimization,
Police Reporting and
Perception of Police Bias
Rhissa Briones Robinson1, Flavia Mandatori2
and Gabriel R. Paez1
Abstract
Individuals who identify as belonging to multiple marginalized groups experience
disproportionate violent victimization yet are reluctant to inform the police fol-
lowing an incident. Perceptions of the police as biased may influence whether
victims report. This study examines low socio-economic and sexual orientation/
gender-identity (SOGI) minority statuses on experiencing violent victimization,
reporting to the police and perceived police bias as a reason for not reporting.
Multivariate logistic regressions were applied to National Crime Victimization
Survey data. Low-income, SOGI respondents reported greater odds of expe-
riencing violent victimization but lower odds of reporting to the police. An
increase in the odds of perceiving the police as biased was found among victims
who did not report. Results suggest greater work to improve the strained rela-
tionships between the police and minority communities.
Keywords
Victimization, violence, sexual minorities, police response
Introduction
Individuals who possess multiple marginalized identities encounter stigma-related
experiences that may shape their interactions with law enforcement following
Original Article
Journal of Victimology
and Victim Justice
7(1) 34–50, 2024
2024 National Law
University Delhi
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/25166069241241155
journals.sagepub.com/home/vvj
1 Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida, USA
2 Department of Criminology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Corresponding author:
Rhissa Briones Robinson, University of Tampa, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice,
Tampa, Florida 33606, USA.
E-mail: rrobinson@ut.edu
Robinson et al. 35
violent victimization. In turn, a growing body of literature has consistently empha-
sized the disproportionate risk for victimization that sexual orientation and gender-
identity minorities (SOGI) face as compared to their heterosexual counterparts.3
While more research attention is being drawn to outcomes at the intersections of
race/ethnicity among SOGI minorities, the combined contributions of SOGI and
socio-economic statuses (SES) on victimization and its influence on reporting
victimization to the police have not yet been explored.
In response to this gap in the literature, the current exploratory study assesses
the relationship between multiple minority statuses and their influence on violent
victimization and reporting behaviour. Although the serious and disparate nature
of violence experienced by SOGI victims has been documented, current evidence
suggests that they may be unlikely to notify the police following an incident.4
Exposure to adverse conditions such as living in disadvantaged socio-economic
circumstances may also influence victims’ experiences of violence,5 and further
impact the decision to report the incident.6
While findings from victimization surveys shed light on the dark figure of
crime, very little is known about the reasons why minorities decide not to report
to police. Understanding these reasons may contribute to critically improving
police and minority community relations. Finally, the current study utilizes the
minority stress theory (MST)7 as a theoretical backdrop to assist in understanding
why individuals of varying minority statuses may not report violent crimes.
Components of the theory are tested in subsequent analyses.
Literature Review
SOGI Status and Violent Victimization
In comparison to their heterosexual peers, the likelihood of experiencing varied
forms of victimization is higher among people who identify as SOGI minorities
based on national estimates. Recent National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
findings reflect serious forms of violent victimization rates are suffered by SOGI
minorities between 2.8 and 6.1 times higher than heterosexuals.8 Most research on
3 A. K. Bender & J. L. Lauritsen, Violent Victimization Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations
in the United States: Findings from the National Crime Victimization Survey, 2017–2018, 111(2)
318 (2021).
4 T. Miles-Johnson, LGBTI Variations in Crime Reporting: How Sexual Identity Influences Decisions
to Call the Cops, 3(2) (2013).
5 Neighborhood Disadvantage and the Nature of
Violence 41(1) 39 (2003); A. Nilsson & F. Estrada, Risky Neighbourhood or Individuals
At Risk? The Signicance of Neighbourhood Conditions for Violent Victimization in Residential Areas,
8(1) 2 (2007).
6 M. Desmond, A. V. Papachristos, & D. S. Kirk, Police Violence and Citizen Crime Reporting in the
Black Community, 81(5) -
pagna, Examining the Paradox of Crime Reporting: Are Disadvantaged Victims More Likely to Report
to the Police? 53(4) 1305 (2019).
7 Prejudice, Social Stress, and Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations:
Conceptual Issues and Research Evidence, 129(5) 674 (2003).
8 Bender & Lauritsen, Violent Victimization Among Lesbian.
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