NCJ Number
235588
Journal
Journal of Crime & Justice Volume: 34 Issue: 2 Dated: July 2011 Pages: 124-138
Date Published
July 2011
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study examined the benign neglect hypothesis.
Abstract
The results from prior examinations of the benign neglect hypothesis are mixed. The current research seeks to determine the extent to which aggregation bias can account for these inconsistencies. Guided by insights from the policing literature, characteristics of the social contexts of police districts in a Midwestern city are used to explore the relationship between racial conflict and police behavior. The results from autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) analyses of the influence of a race riot on arrests fail to produce evidence of benign neglect at the city level. However, when data are disaggregated to the police district level of analysis evidence of benign neglect is found in the area of the city where the least powerful, Black residents reside. The implications of these findings are discussed. (Published Abstract)