Studies

Research on racial bias in policing

“There is a significant history in the United States of white people calling the police on innocent people of color… [One explanation is that] these individuals are… utilizing law enforcement as their own personal race police."

“Criminal justice practitioners cannot eliminate all disparities from the system alone… Minority overrepresentation in the criminal justice system is the end result of disparate treatment in … education, jobs, sustainable income, and affordable housing."

“We find that post-litigation affirmative action increased the shares of black officers, and substantially reduced both racial disparities in crime victimization, and rates of black crime victimization, without increasing rates of white crime victimization."

“Over the past thirty years, the most severe effects of criminal justice policies and practices have been concentrated in staggering proportions on one group—young African American males from inner cities and low-income communities."

“Tied to the oppressive nature of schools that over-police and and criminalize Black girls… During ages five to fourteen, Black girls are perceived by adults to be less innocent and more adult-like… and therefore increasingly experience unfair punishment."

“Experience with community policing was positively associated with support for the practice… The second most consistent predictor of officer support… is officers' political ideology… More conservative officers were generally less supportive of community policing."

"[Bureau of Justice Statistics] ARD program captured approximately 49% of law enforcement homicides, while the [FBI’s] SHR captured 46%. An estimated 28% of the law enforcement homicides in the United States are not captured by either system."

“Blue hate crime laws contain a racially divisive message that pits police and Black citizens against each other. Framing police as the victims of hate crime inevitably functions to indict Black citizens as the source of this violent persecution."