Final Project: Draft 2 of Your Prospectus

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Prospectus

Police Brutality Against African American Males

Jamisha Riddick

WaldenU

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Prospectus: Factors Behind African American Males Being Victims of Police Brutality at

Disproportionate Rates

Problem Statement

According to recent studies African American males are 21% more likely to get arrested and

become victims of police brutality than white males in the United States (Brunson, 2017). The

disproportionate rates at which African American males become victims of police brutality has been

alarming sparking public debate about why that is so.

Significance

The research aims to investigate the dynamics behind African American males being targets of

police brutality at disproportionate rates with the aim of informing critical decision-making processes

directed towards eliminating the victimization of the said population (Brunson, 2017). An in depth

understanding of the factors behind a problematic issue helps in the identification of the methods that can

be implemented to prevent the issue from occurring.

Background

The following are samples of the articles used to conduct the research:

1. Brunson, R. K. (2017) states that police’s attitude is what leads to police brutality. He states that

the police do not like black people. His claim is supported by an accumulation of the experiences

of young African American males at the hands of the police. The article concludes that most of the

racial minority groups, especially African Americans are being racially profiled by the police and

that most of the police officers are subtle racists. This article is related to the research question in

terms of defining the reasons behind why the police do not like black people

2. Chaney & Robertson, R. V. (2013) talks about how racism and police brutality are connected in

America. The research article examines the findings provided by the National Police Misconduct

Statistics and Reporting Project (NPMSRP) to determine how the public perceived the police and

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how race and racism played a part in it. This article relates to the research topic in the sense that it

attempts to connect how racism is a factor behind the disproportionate rates at which African

American males are victims of police brutality.

3. Moore et al., (2013) provides insights of police shooting of unarmed African American males in the

United States. The article discusses how negative stereotypes have led to the criminalized of

African American males has created an environment that supports the killings of unarmed African

American males by law enforcement officers as justifiable defense. The article applied the critical

race theory to examine and comprehend the chronic factor of racism as the cause of social

inequities that have led to the killing and violence towards unarmed African American males.

Conceptual/Theoretical Framework

The research uses the social learning theory as its theoretical framework because best explains the

factors behind African American males being victims of police brutality at disproportionate rates. The social

learning theory focuses on how people learn by observing the behaviors of other people especially the

people who they consider as models (Chaney & Robertson, 2013). The theory will best explains why the

issue of police brutality towards African American males at disproportionate rates continues to be

prevalent throughout the American history even after policies and measures have been implemented to

curb such unethical behaviors. The same theory can also be applied in teaching police officers new

behaviors, behaviors that support diversity and inclusivity. Teaching the police force how to be ethnically,

culturally, and racially sensitive would help in reducing the rates with which African American males

become victims of police brutality.

Research Questions

The main research questions include, what are the factors leading to African American males being

victims of police brutality at disproportionate rates? Is ethnicity or race an attributing factor towards police

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brutality against African American males (Moore et al., 2018)? Is the issue of police violence towards

African American males rooted in the policing history?

Nature of the Study

The nature of this study is qualitative research study. The sample of would be selected from all the

states across the United States. A sample of 20 people per state would be collected, totaling to 1000

individuals. The sample of respondents would be selected based on the brutal and violent experiences they

have had to go through at the hands of law enforcement agents.

Types and Sources of Information

Interviewing and surveying are the data collection methods. Victims of police brutality who are

African American males, would be the subject of the interviews and surveys. The selection of these data

collection methods is due to its ability to collect diverse information on the phenomenon under study.

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References

Brunson, R. K. (2017). “Police don't like black people”: African American young men's accumulated police

experiences. Criminology & public policy, 6(1), 71-101.

Chaney, C., & Robertson, R. V. (2013). Racism and police brutality in America. Journal of African American

Studies, 17(4), 480-505.

Moore, S. E., Robinson, M. A., Clayton, D. M., Adedoyin, A. C., Boamah, D. A., Kyere, E., & Harmon, D. K.

(2018). A critical race perspective of police shooting of unarmed black males in the United States:

Implications for social work. Urban Social Work, 2(1), 33-47.