RT Article
T1 ‘It’s not OK to shoot and kill Americans’: families’ perceptions of police use of lethal force in the United States
JF Journal of crime and justice
VO 43
IS 5
SP 585
OP 597
A1 Baker, David 1968-
A2 Carballo Fidalgo, Marta
LA English
YR 2020
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1778965075
AB This article examines the police use of lethal force against American citizens from the perspective of families affected by these deaths. It is based on qualitative research undertaken with family members who lost loved ones after police contact in the United States. The article examines how organizational practices and cultures are perceived to enable the use of lethal force, and how multiple narratives are employed to legitimize its use in the aftermath of a citizen’s death. It considers how procedural justice might provide a framework that enables an understanding of how these deaths are perceived by sections of US society. Key findings are that families believe police uses lethal force with relative impunity due to an aggressive mindset and a lack of effective regulation. The article further finds that symbolic legitimation strategies reward officers for using lethal force, and denigrate the deceased enabling these deaths to be classified as justified.
K1 Police use of lethal force
K1 Legitimacy
K1 Militarization
K1 Procedural Justice
DO 10.1080/0735648X.2020.1717583