Justice on the Street? Police and Minorities (From Color of Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America, P 85-121, 1996, Sabra Horne, ed. - See NCJ-163438)

• NCJ Number: 163442
• Author(s): S Walker; C Spohn; M DeLone
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 37 pages
• Sale Source: Wadsworth Publishing Co
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter explores the relationship between the police and racial and ethnic minority communities.

Abstract

The chapter examines public opinion about the police, comparing the attitudes of whites, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans. The largest section reviews the evidence on police behavior, beginning with the use of deadly force and proceeding through less serious police activities. In each case the authors consider whether there is a pattern of discrimination, and attempt to explain the underlying causes of police behavior with respect to racial and ethnic minorities, The third section deals with citizen complaints against the police, reviewing the evidence on the extent of misconduct and how police departments handle citizen complaints. The final section examines police employment practices, with particular attention to discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities. This analysis uncovers persuasive evidence that: (1) minorities are more likely than are white Americans to be shot and killed, arrested, and victimized by excessive physical force on the part of the police; (2) police misconduct against minorities persists and police departments fail to discipline officers guilty of such misconduct; and (3) employment discrimination by police departments continues. Figures, tables, notes