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 researches 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 causes of an 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.

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

connected in America.

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

males in the United States.

Conceptual/Theoretical Framework

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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 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

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 brutality against African American males (Moore et al., 2018)? What is the

perception of the African American population towards the law enforcement officials? 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.

Types and Sources of Information

Interviewing and surveying. 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.