The General Social Survey (GSS) asks respondents (American adults) if they have ever been arrested, and it also gives a vocabulary quiz that can be used to measure IQ.
Since the sample size for Hispanics was small (92) I created only three IQ levels: 1) less than 83 (low), 2) 83-97 (low-medium), and 3) over 97 (above average). The graphs show the percent ever arrested by IQ level:
Whites (n = 3,100)
For whites, involvement in crime is highest among the low-medium group (16.9% arrested). This is what studies usually find.
Blacks (n = 699)
Hispanics (n = 92)
The low-medium IQ group has the lowest arrest rate among Hispanics. Around 25% of the low and high groups report an arrest.
In sum, IQ helps explain crime among whites, but it does not predict crime like you'd expect among blacks and Latinos. Above-average individuals are at least as likely as the unintelligent to be involved in crime.
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