Complex Colorblindness in Police Processes and Practices

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Welsh ◽  
Joshua Chanin ◽  
Stuart Henry
Keyword(s):  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Racial Profiling ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Traffic Stops ◽  
Enforcement Policy ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Racial disparities in police-community encounters are well documented, with people of color experiencing higher levels of police scrutiny. Far less is known about how police officers perceive the racial dynamics at play in their work. As part of a 2016 study of traffic stops in San Diego, we conducted in-depth interviews with 52 city police officers. Despite evidence of racial disparities in SDPD practices related to post-stop outcomes, officers denied, minimized, or even condemned racial profiling during traffic stops; officers described operating under a neutral policy of “colorblindness.” Our analysis identifies cognitive and discursive mechanisms which explain this complex and contradictory picture. We find that officers’ accounts excuse, justify, or otherwise negate the role of race in routine police work, yet officers’ thoughts and actions are based on racialized and, at times, dehumanizing narratives about people and communities of color. These morally neutral accounts form a pattern of micro-racialized discourse, constituting a layering of racialized processes and practices that cumulatively produce racially disparate outcomes. We argue that rejection of explicit racism alone is insufficient to address the progressive micro-racial aggression that emerges at key points during police-community encounters. We discuss the implications for law enforcement policy and practice.

scholarly journals The Role of the Court and the Constitution on Police Oversight in Zimbabwe: Prospects and Challenges

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 272
Author(s):  
Ishmael Mugari ◽  
Adewale A. Olutola
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Criminal Cases ◽  
Abuse Of Power ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
Police Accountability ◽  
Legal Document ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Police Abuse

<p><em>The wide discretionary powers that are bestowed on the police necessitate the need for some mechanisms to curb abuse of these powers. The court, as an accountability institution, plays an important role in curtailing police abuse of power. This study explored the role of the court in police oversight in Zimbabwe, as well as examining the effectiveness of this important oversight institution in Zimbabwe. A total of 126 respondents drawn from institutions of accountability, were invited to participate through questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The study revealed that the court is an effective institution of police accountability, whose police oversight role is performed through: deciding on the propriety of police actions; presiding over criminal cases in which police officers are implicated; and presiding over civil suits against the police. However, despite the court’s effectiveness, the limited number of judicial officers and absence of a mechanism to implement court judgements against the police seem to militate against the court’s effectiveness. The constitution was widely viewed to be an effective legal document for enhancing police accountability, though its effectiveness largely depends on willingness of state institutions to adhere to constitutional provisions. Despite some obstacles, the court and the constitution are key independent mechanisms for curbing police abuse of power in the Republic of Zimbabwe.</em></p>

scholarly journals Return Migration Process in Policy and Practice

2019 ◽  
pp. 261-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evija Kļave ◽  
Inese Šūpule
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Return Migration ◽  
Migration Policy ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Return Migrants ◽  
Return Policy ◽  
The World ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract This chapter focuses on return migration processes in Latvia, integrating analysis of return migration policy and the experiences of return migrants. The analysis considers the extent to which return policy activities correspond to the needs and expectations of the target group, and addresses the role of this policy in the process of making the decision to return. The data used for the analysis are policy planning documents, The Emigrant Communities of Latvia survey and in-depth interviews. The main empirical evidence of the return experiences of migrants in the chapter comes from 18 in-depth interviews with Latvian returnees from various age and social status groups, who left Latvia within a period between 1991 and 2011. This research finds that although the government’s policy corresponds to the general needs of return migrants, this policy has no impact on individual return decisions among Latvian migrants. The main reasons for return are non-economic. If economic reasons dominate the reasons for leaving – alongside a wish to see the world or get an education – then coming back is connected with homesickness, a willingness to spend more time with relatives in Latvia, a longing for Latvian nature, a desire to speak Latvian and to live in the Latvian environment. It also eliminates the risk of assimilation for their children in the society of the country they have emigrated to.

School principals’ perceptions and requirements of school evaluators

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-501
Author(s):  
Yael Cohen-Azaria ◽  
Sara Zamir
Keyword(s):  
School Principals ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Data Collection And Analysis ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Role Definitions ◽  
Principals Perceptions ◽  
Perceptions Of School ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of school principals of the evaluator’s role and to learn about their requirements of school evaluators. Design/methodology/approach The current study is based on the qualitative paradigm of data collection and analysis. This paradigm provides a profound a description of the phenomenon in the context in which it takes place, based on the respondents’ perceptions and how they interpret their experiences. In the course of the study, the authors used semi-structured in-depth interviews. Findings Findings indicated that principals had regarded the role of the school evaluator mainly as that of an expert, a managerial partner and an implementer of school evaluation culture. Research limitations/implications The interviewers were the teachers who had been trained for the school evaluator’s position. Practical implications The “school evaluator” and the principals bear the complex task of evaluation on their shoulders, and their success in fulfilling it depends on their insights about how to delineate and implement the evaluator’s role. The paper outlines some crucial benchmarks for resolving the issue of role definitions between them. Social implications As a relatively new profession, derived from other professions and research areas, evaluation has no solid, historical occupational legacy in schools. This paper broadens the merit of school evaluator as the facilitator of quality assurance. Originality/value The increased responsibility placed on schools, the demand of accountability as well as transparency, have obliged the schools to broaden and deepen the internal evaluation activities. This paper reveals the essence of school evaluator’s role and suggests some key points for his/her valuable work.

scholarly journals Introspective Projection: Prototypical Representations of Policing in the Service of Rule of Law

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Sammut ◽  
Rebekah Mifsud ◽  
Noellie Brockdorff
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Social Identification ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
The Past ◽  
Networks Analysis ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Western Democracies

AbstractMass protests that have taken place over the past decade in various Western democracies have called into question the role of police in society, as officers have employed measures to contain rallies protesting for or against various issues. A number of these protests have resorted to violent means, resisting the police or protesting directly against their role and methods. The present study sought to investigate the prototypical representations of the police that lay citizens use to forge or desist identification with police officers. Social identification enables citizens to consider the police as ingroup members, facilitating respect for their authority. Conversely, identifying the police as outgroup precipitates resistance. The study involved 41 in-depth interviews carried out with citizens of Malta between May and June 2020. Thematic Networks Analysis revealed various points of consensus as well as a number of controversial themes. In particular, respondents demonstrated sceptical attitudes regarding policing on the beat for fear of overfamiliarity, rooted in introspective attributions projected at the police as merely human. Moreover, respondents expressed support for technological innovations that overcome natural psychological tendencies. The findings of this study suggest that seeking increasing trust in the police may be a red herring for policymakers. Rather, efforts should be directed at developing inter-objective systems, (e.g. body-cams), that overcome individual psychological propensities.

scholarly journals The Power of Recognition: A Qualitative Study of Social Connectedness and Wellbeing through LGBT Sporting, Creative and Social Groups in Ireland

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (19) ◽  
pp. 3636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nerilee Ceatha ◽  
Paula Mayock ◽  
Jim Campbell ◽  
Chris Noone ◽  
Kath Browne
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Social Wellbeing ◽  
Social Interests ◽  
Bisexual And Transgender ◽  
Depth Interviews

The broad research consensus suggesting substantial vulnerabilities among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities may fail to recognize the protective factors available to these populations. The sparse literature on mental health promotion highlights the importance of understanding strengths-based community approaches that promote LGBT wellbeing. Informed by the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, underpinned by Honneth’s Theory of Recognition, this paper outlines the findings of a qualitative Irish study on LGBT social connectedness through a diverse range of sporting, creative and social interests. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 people (including one couple) who self-identified as lesbian (5), gay (4), bisexual (1) and transgender (1) aged between 22 and 56 years. A university Research Ethics Committee granted approval. The data were transcribed and coded using thematic analysis, enhanced through a memo-writing approach to reflexivity. The theme of ‘connecting’ emphasized the shared nature of activities, with like-minded others through groups established by, and for, LGBT communities. Messages from the study reinforce the central role of LGBT communities in the promotion of mental health and social wellbeing, with important policy and practice implications. This requires the contextualization of the contribution of LGBT communities within understandings of social justice, identity and recognition.

Policing Blacks in Guangzhou: How Public Security Constructs Africans as Sanfei

Modern China ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangzhi Huang
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Racial Profiling ◽  
Public Security ◽  
Monetary Incentives ◽  
Great Pressure ◽  
Performance Statistics ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Police System ◽  
The Way

This article looks at the role of Guangzhou’s Public Security Bureau in constructing Africans in the city as “triple illegal,” or sanfei 三非. The term refers to those who enter, stay, and work in China illegally. While many scholars have written about the racial profiling of Africans by the Chinese police, little is known about how police officers on the ground enforce the law and why they act the way they do. Failure to tackle these questions, combined with a more or less exclusive focus on Africans’ strategies of survival, not only undermines the effectiveness of criticizing the emerging institutional racism in China but also risks reinforcing the negative image of Africans as lawbreakers. This article attempts to fill this gap by approaching the topic from the perspective of police officers. It argues that the way the police system is set up makes Africans vulnerable targets of police officers, who are under great pressure to improve performance statistics and are motivated by monetary incentives.

scholarly journals Essays on Race in Policing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hunter Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Racial Disparities ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Racial Profiling ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Racial Composition ◽  
Action Plans ◽  
Female Officer ◽  
The Impact

In recent years, a number of high-profile policing controversies have led to global indignation over racial disparities in policing and perceived police brutality. This paper explores three different dimensions of race in policing. The first chapter of this dissertation examines whether the presence of female and minority police officers affects the likelihood of police use of force and whether officers are more or less likely to use force against civilians of a different race. Focusing on a subset of 911 calls resulting in arrest, I use an instrumental variables estimation method with dispatch availability by officer race/gender as an instrument for the presence of different officer types. I find that the presence of a female officer significantly reduces the likelihood that force is used. Calls involving white officers and black civilians are significantly more likely to result in use of force. The second chapter uses data on 7.5 million police-civilian interactions made by 1,663 Texas Highway Patrol officers to estimate the impact of five mandatory police trainings on the racial composition of traffic stops and racial disparities in related outcomes. The five trainings considered are (1) Cultural Diversity; (2) Arrest, Search & Seizure; (3) Racial Profiling; (4) Traffic; and (5) Deescalation. We exploit quasi-random variation in the timing of when individual officers receive training and estimate a series of event study models. We find that training has little to no effect on policing behavior in terms of either racial composition or stops or related outcomes. In general, our findings cast serious doubt on the ability of policymakers to use training as an effective intervention for combatting longstanding disparities in law enforcement. The third chapter examines whether externally-imposed affirmative action plans designed to increase the shares of nonwhite and female police officers have impacted the rates of reported offenses and/or offenses cleared by arrest. Using a series of modern econometric strategies including difference-in-differences decomposition and generalized synthetic controls, we do not find a significant effect of court-imposed affirmative action plans on the rates of reported offenses or reported offenses cleared by arrest. We also consider whether unlitigated agencies change their practices due to the threat of litigation but are unable to identify causal evidence of such threat effects

Police Escalation and the Motor Vehicle

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-155
Author(s):  
Jordan Blair Woods
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Racial Disparity ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Traffic Stops ◽  
Law And Policy ◽  
Vehicle Technologies ◽  
System Today

This article, prepared for the special issue on investigations, presents an original empirical analysis of the role of the motor vehicle in shaping how officers describe experiencing violence and perceiving danger during vehicle stops. Tens of millions of traffic stops occur every year, making vehicle stops the most common interaction that civilians have with law enforcement. Although traffic stops are commonly described as dangerous settings for police officers, little is known about how the motor vehicle itself shapes officer descriptions, perceptions, and experiences of danger and harm during these stops. The presented findings make at least four key contributions to scholarship and policing law and policy. First, the findings inform unfolding criminal law reforms surrounding the policing and criminalization of traffic offenses, which are major sources of racial disparity in, and net-widening of, the criminal justice system today. Second, the findings prompt questions about whether and when legal actors, and especially actors that regulate the police, should defer to officer danger narratives involving motor vehicles. Third, the findings prompt novel questions about technology and the law, and more specifically, the ability of new motor vehicle technologies to help diffuse officer perceptions of danger that stem from motor vehicles. Fourth and finally, the findings illustrate a need to pay greater attention to the motor vehicle as a source of officer danger and harm in official policing data in order to accurately measure the risks and costs of policing during vehicle stops.

Sasak People’s Resistance Against Mataram-Karangasem and Dutch Colonial Rulers: The Role of Tuan Guru Umar Kelayu

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-90
Author(s):  
Ahmad Tohri ◽  
H. Habibuddin ◽  
Abdul Rasyad
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Historical Method ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
Historical Methods ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Dutch Colonial ◽  
Dutch Colonialism

This article discusses the Sasak people’s resistance against MataramKarangasem and Dutch colonial rulers in the 19th century in Lombok, Indonesia. It particularly focuses on Tuan Guru Umar Kelayu and his central role in the emergence of Sasak people’s resistance which transformed into Sasak physical revolution local and global imperialismcolonialism. Using the historical method, this article collected data through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. The data analysis involved the historical methods of heuristics, verification or criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The findings show that Sasak people’s resistance was not only caused by economic factors but also related to other factors such as social, cultural, and religious ones. Tuan Guru Umar Kelayu played a key role in the Sasak people’s resistance in that it was under his leadership and influence that the resistance transformed into a physical struggle against MataramKarangasem and Dutch colonialism as seen in Sakra War and Praya War which were led by his students and friends.

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