RT Article
T1 Neighborhood context and police use of force
JF Journal of research in crime and delinquency
VO 40
IS 3
SP 291
OP 321
A1 Terrill, William 1965-
A1 Reisig, Michael D.
LA English
YR 2003
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1640354549
AB Explanations of police coercion have been traditionally embedded within sociological, psychological, and organizational theoretical frameworks. Largely absent from the research are examinations exploring the role of neighborhood context on police use-of-force practices. Using data collected as part of a systematic social observation study of police in Indianapolis, Indiana, and St. Petersburg, Florida, this research examines the influence of neighborhood context on the level of force police exercise during police-suspect encounters using hierarchical linear modeling techniques. The authors found police officers are significantly more likely to use higher levels of force when suspects are encountered in disadvantaged neighborhoods and those with higher homicide rates, net of situational factors (e.g., suspect resistance) and officer-based determinants (e.g., age, education, and training). Also found is that the effect of the suspect's race is mediated by neighborhood context. The results reaffirm Smith's 1986 conclusion that police officers "act differently in different neighborhood contexts
K1 Polizei
K1 Gewaltanwendung
K1 Nachbarschaft
K1 Soziale Desorganisation
DO 10.1177/0022427803253800