Introduction

Racial differences in poverty and family disruption are so strong that the 'worst' urban contexts in which whites reside are considerably better than the average context of black communities". The social distribution of violent crime—how much of it there is among categories of socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity—explains neither offending nor victimization. Rather, it requires explanation. Violence and aggression are both more general classes of behaviours than are violent crimes. Violent crimes are distinguished from violence and aggression in that they are prohibited by the criminal law. Violent crime covers a wide variety of specific behaviours and it is related in complex ways to many other types of behaviours and human conditions. In contrast, the ethnic composition of both offenders and victims of violent crime has changed frequently and dramatically. The Irish were involved in disproportionate numbers in violent crime, gangs, and in the numerous political, ethnic, and labour riots in New York City between 1788 and 1834.