Project: Outline of Prospectus Draft 8115

Premise: Factors behind African American Males Being Victims of Police Brutality

Problem Statement

The recent widely publicized tragic deaths of African Americans at the hands of the police has created a public discussion about racism in policing. A lot of research has been piloted to identify and understand the perception of the African Americans about the police and the consequences of racial inequalities on policing (Brunson, 2017). Unfortunately, limited research has been conducted to investigate the institutional and personal influences of non-African Americans police officers on how they treat African Americans (Brunson, 2017). Furthermore, more research has to be done to understand the history of policing, to identify if there are practices within the force that motivate officers to engage in unethical behavior against racial minorities

The widespread awareness created due to the latest deaths of numerous African American males in the hands of the police has uncovered the unaddressed public concern which is defining the root reasons of extreme use of force by the police directed towards black males resulting in ‘admissible homicides’ (Gilbert & Ray, 2016). The criminalization of black males has been a prevalent issue in the history of the United States. Currently, there are limited researches that apply an intersectional approach towards the investigation of the intersection of gender and race in realizing police behaviors that lead to ‘admissible homicides’ for African American males (Gilbert & Ray, 2016). Researches need to be done about the implications of social and legal factors in violence related incidents involving law enforcement officials and African American males.

Approach

This study will use the qualitative approach. It will involve reviewing academic journals and research papers. It will also involve using questionnaires and surveys to obtain information from law enforcement officers and victims of police brutality.

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.

Chaney, C., & Robertson, R. V. (2015). Armed and dangerous? An examination of fatal shootings of unarmed black people by police. Journal of Pan African Studies, 8(4), 45-78.

Desmond, M., Papachristos, A. V., & Kirk, D. S. (2016). Police violence and citizen crime reporting in the black community. American sociological review, 81(5), 857-876.

Gilbert, K. L., & Ray, R. (2016). Why police kill black males with impunity: Applying public health critical race praxis (PHCRP) to address the determinants of policing behaviors and “justifiable” homicides in the USA. Journal of Urban Health, 93(1), 122-140.

Smiley, C., & Fakunle, D. (2016). From “brute” to “thug:” The demonization and criminalization of unarmed Black male victims in America. Journal of human behavior in the social environment, 26(3-4), 350-366.

Smith, W. A., Hung, M., & Franklin, J. D. (2011). Racial battle fatigue and the miseducation of Black men: Racial microaggressions, societal problems, and environmental stress. The Journal of Negro Education, 63-82.

Weitzer, R. (2015). American policing under fire: Misconduct and reform. Society, 52(5), 475-480.

Worden, R. E. (2015). The causes of police brutality: Theory and evidence on police use of force (Vol. 2, pp. 149-204). Routledge, New York, NY, ed.

Wu, Y. (2014). Race/ethnicity and perceptions of the police: A comparison of White, Black, Asian and Hispanic Americans. Policing and society, 24(2), 135-157.