Psychological Consequences of Racial Biases in Policing

What is it about?

Unfair treatment by police can leave lasting scars on mental health and trust in the legal system. This work looks at how being stopped, searched, or treated unfairly by police affects people of color throughout their lives. The authors explore how societal stereotypes make people of color more vulnerable to policing, how the culture of policing influences officers’ relationships with and treatment of people of color, how learning about and seeing others treated unfairly by police officers affects individuals’ own attitudes, and how personal encounters with police shape trust and stress. Effects on mental health, feelings of safety, and life outcomes among people of color are considered, as are implications for policy and practice.

Featured Image

Photo by AJ Colores on Unsplash

Photo by AJ Colores on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This work shows how racially biased policing affects people of color at every stage of life. Understanding these effects is important for designing policies to ensure more fair and respectful policing and supporting communities who have been negatively impacted by biased policing.