Observations of relationships between race and crime have been part of criminological

Criminology

Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...

 theory since its early inceptions. In early criminology this relation was used to argue that certain racially defined populations were more prone to crime than others, and in turn as motivation for policies of eugenics

Eugenics

Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...

 and even genocide

Genocide

Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...

. Today the issue of race and crime is especially salient in relation to the fact that, in some countries, crime rates vary significantly among racial groups. The direction of causality in the explanation of that correlation is the subject of debate. The topic continues to be part of current debates such as regarding immigration

Immigration

Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...

 or race and intelligence

Race and intelligence

The connection between race and intelligence has been a subject of debate in both popular science and academic research since the inception of intelligence testing in the early 20th century...

.

See also

• Racial profiling
  Racial profiling
  Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
  
  
• Sex and crime
  Sex and crime
  Attempts in various fields have tried to explore a possible relation between gender and crime. Such studies may belong to criminology, sociobiology , etc...
  
  
• Race and crime in the United States
  Race and crime in the United States
  The relationship between race and crime in the United States has been a topic of public controversy and scholarly debate for more than a century...
  
  
• Race and crime in the United Kingdom
  Race and crime in the United Kingdom
  The relationship between race and crime in the United Kingdom is the subject of academic studies, government surveys, media coverage, and public concern...
  
  

Further reading