Abstract
This chapter provides some initial evidence that may be used as a starting point in studying the race–crime link. The chapter describes how contextual-, familial-, and individual-level models attempt to account for patterns of antisocial behavior in urban communities. The argument presented is that individual and familial risks are exacerbated in the most disadvantaged communities, especially those disadvantaged communities in which African Americans are overrepresented. Race-specific models are examined to determine if the constellation of contextual-, familial-, and individual-level risk factors predict antisocial behavior differently for whites and African Americans, as well as across distinct neighborhood contexts. The chapter begins with a vignette of three teenagers, each residing in the same underclass neighborhood, whose developmental trajectories are unique.