The issue of racial disparity in the criminal justice system remains a topical one. 64% of the charged youth are people of color, which contrasts with their demographic redistribution (Dragomir & Tadros, 2020, p. 63). Thus, the situation begs the question of whether certain preconceptions make police officers apprehend non-white adolescents with a higher frequency. In order to address it, a survey will be conducted among the arrested youth to determine whether they perceived their encounter with the police as justified or racially motivated and their subsequent treatment.
Type of Analysis
The study is exploratory as it includes the research question, establishes the variables, collects data, presents the obtained information, and determines the relationship between the main phenomena (race and bias). If a particular subset of the participants will be abnormally affected by the police’s preconceptions, the subsequent research paper might be explanatory to focus on those issues. The study is quantitative, meaning that the priority is given to how many people of each race perceive their arrest as racially motivated. It is reflected in the close survey and the numerical representation of the variables.
Research Question
The primary research question is: Do police officers tend to arrest the youth of color due to their preconceptions about one’s race? Another potential question is: What race is more likely to be affected by bias? Although police officers could be used as the target population to address the question, the topic is concerned with bias, which might manifest during the surveying process. Thus, it would be more prudent to prioritize the victim side, which is aware of whether misconduct occurred. The hypothesis is that the youth of color is more likely to perceive their arrest as a direct result of the police’s preconceptions and face harsher consequences than white adolescents.
Variables
The relevant variables include one’s race, whether the offense was perceived as justified or racially motivated, and follow-up procedures. The first one is independent, while the rest are dependent on race. The next variable shows whether the participant perceived their arrest as justified. For instance, a person could be stated to have committed theft, while they do not consider the action a crime for a reason. The follow-up procedures variable demonstrates how the arrest was resolved: whether the youth was acquitted and sent home with parents or the case was forwarded to higher authorities. For instance, both a white adolescent and a black one could be unjustly arrested but face different outcomes, which also reveals the existence of bias.
All the variables are measured through the self-report survey, which includes close-ended questions. The race field will include the common races and ethnicities, and Hispanic and Latino people, for instance, are also able to specify their race. The question regarding the arrest’s perception has two options (justified/racially motivated) with an additional alternative for those who are unsure. Lastly, the possible follow-up procedures according to the law are highlighted, although “other” can also be selected for unique cases when the outcome derives from the usual ones.
Sampling
The target population is adolescents ranging from 14 to 21 years old who have a history of being arrested regardless of follow-up procedures in the state within the last five years. The National Incident-Based Reporting System is used for the purposive sampling procedure to identify the potential participants as it has data on all offenses committed with one’s race and age included (Claus et al., 2017). Later, the ones fitting the criteria (age, the state of residence, and the period) were contacted and asked to participate in the survey. The benefits include accurate selection and the possibility of covering all races/ethnicities; meanwhile, the limitations are in the system’s inaccessibility without collaborating with the police, which may refuse to provide the data.
Data Collection
The data was obtained using surveys sent to the participants upon receiving their consent through e-mail or postal services. They include such fields as race, the arrest’s perception, and follow-up procedures, all of which are close-ended with pre-determined options. The benefits are the simplified calculation and analysis and sufficient information to answer the research questions; the limitation is the fact that the part pants cannot specify what “other” means for several cases.
Data Analysis
Simple linear regression is used as the data procedure method due to the existence of one independent variable (race) and several dependent ones. It helps establish the relationship between one’s race and the arrest’s perception and between one’s race and follow-up procedures, both of which reveal whether the police had racial preconceptions/bias while apprehending the participants. Each race will have separate graphs, which will be later combined to represent the data visually.
Benefits/Limitations
As highlighted earlier, the benefits are related to the study’s accuracy and simplicity, which will contribute to answering the research questions. The potential limitations are the chosen variable of the arrest’s perception, which is rather subjective, the sampling procedure with a tool unavailable to a common citizen, and the participants’ unwillingness to relive the experience. Additionally, the quantitative study imposes several restrictions, such as the necessity to use close-ended questions without inquiring deeper into the circumstances. The research design is distinct because it focuses on the victims rather than police officers and ignores the specifics of the committed crimes, emphasizing the arrest’s perception.
References
Claus, R. E., Vidal, S., & Harmon, M. (2017). Racial and ethnic disparities in the police handling of juvenile arrests. Crime & Delinquency, 64(11), 1375–1393. Web.
Dragomir, R. R., & Tadros, E. (2020). Exploring the impacts of racial disparity within the American juvenile justice system. Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 71(2), 61–73. Web.