Black and White Perceptions of the Appropriateness of Police Conduct (From System in Black and White: Exploring the Connections Between Race, Crime, and Justice, P 125-134, 2000, Michael W. Markowitz and Delores D. Jones-Brown, eds. -- See NCJ-183600)

• NCJ Number: 183606
• Author(s): Daniel Kolodziejski; John Stilwell; Kimberly Torchiana; Michael W. Markowitz
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 10 pages
• Sale Source: Praeger Publishers
• Publication Format: Book (Hardbound)
• Publication Type: Collected Work
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

The results of this study showed significant differences between blacks and whites in their perceptions of the appropriateness of police conduct.

Abstract

The study sample included 110 white and 50 black students from a small university in a northeastern State. Twelve scenarios were constructed to measure participant perceptions of police conduct. The black participants were generally less supportive of actions taken by police officers. In addition to race, gender and area of residence had a significant impact on perceptions of policing. Women were clearly less supportive of police conduct in the scenarios than men. No significant differences between blacks and whites were found with respect to participants who had been or knew a crime victim and participants who had been arrested. The importance of the findings is discussed in terms of efforts by police agencies to improve their image in minority communities. 10 references and 7 tables