Race and police killings: examining the links between racial threat and police shootings of Black Americans

This study empirically examines recent race-specific police shootings and offers a theoretical test of racial threat arguments. Our analysis includes all aspects of threat – economic, political, and racial composition – when examining state-level counts of police shootings of Black citizens spanning...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Gray, Caroline (Author)
Contributors: Parker, Karen F.
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
In: Journal of ethnicity in criminal justice
Year: 2020, Volume: 18, Issue: 4, Pages: 315-340
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
Deadly Force
Police shootings
Race
Racial threat
Description
Summary:This study empirically examines recent race-specific police shootings and offers a theoretical test of racial threat arguments. Our analysis includes all aspects of threat – economic, political, and racial composition – when examining state-level counts of police shootings of Black citizens spanning 2014–2016. For comparison, police shootings of Whites were also analyzed. Significant findings for racial composition are reported across both races, while political predictors are significant in the Black-specific model when controlling for other structural features. Our results also highlight the need to disaggregate police shootings by race. With partial support for racial threat arguments, we offer directions for future research.
ISSN:1537-7946
DOI:10.1080/15377938.2020.1774952