Race and Ethnicity Differences in Police Contact and Perceptions of and Attitudes Toward the Police Among Youth

While investigations examining the effects of direct and vicarious police stops on youth attitudes toward the police have been limited, even less research has explored how these processes vary by race/ethnicity. Thus, this study uses the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) to examine...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Foster, Kathryn (Author)
Contributors: Jones, Melissa S. ; Pierce, Hayley
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2022
In: Criminal justice and behavior
Year: 2022, Volume: 49, Issue: 5, Pages: 660-680
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Youth
Procedural Justice
attitudes toward police
Police Contact
Race/ethnicity
Description
Summary:While investigations examining the effects of direct and vicarious police stops on youth attitudes toward the police have been limited, even less research has explored how these processes vary by race/ethnicity. Thus, this study uses the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) to examine how race/ethnicity shapes: (1) the relationship between direct and vicarious police stops and youth attitudes toward police and (2) how the contextual nature of these stops (intrusiveness) influence youth perceptions of police. The results suggest that direct and/or vicarious police contact can generate negative attitudes toward police among black, Hispanic, and in some cases, white youth, though these effects vary across type of police stop and type of attitude. When a direct stop involved more officer intrusiveness, black youth reported less respect and more negative perceptions of procedural justice. As such, policymakers and criminologists should consider how race/ethnicity influences youth attitudinal responses to police encounters.
ISSN:1552-3594
DOI:10.1177/00938548221078296