Police Brutality And Its Effects On American Culture

Part One: Topic and Discipline The focus of my research is on police brutality, specifically on the various components of excessive force and what aspects of American culture allow it to continue. This topic is multidisciplinary, and fits within the bounds of sociology, African American studies, criminal justice, law, and public policy. There are multiple factors which influence police brutality, including but not limited to, location, segregation, community accountability, demographics, and current events. The research used within this paper all attempt to answer one or more of the aforesaid factors. The ultimate goal of this paper is to determine the overall impacts of all aspects of police brutality. Part Two: Discussion Five†¦show more content†¦Lastly, Seabrook and Wyatt-Nichol’s study demonstrates the evolution of legalized and socialized discrimination against black members of society. Police Use of Excessive Force in Minority Communities: A Test of the Minority Threat, Place, and Community Accountability Hypotheses is original research, as few analyses focus on the impact of place and urban segregation. The study was primarily data-based, making conclusions off of statistics pulled from the sustained excessive force complaints. The authors’ thesis is that coercive methods of policing are used against minorities, depending on multiple factors that are divided into hypotheses. The Minority Threat Hypothesis states that there is a positive relationship between coercive use of force and minority populations, with the amount of coercive force increasing as a minority’s population in a city does. This idea is psychological in nature, drawing from the idea that, due to implicit bias and criminal stereotypes, that minorities pose a greater threat against the officer than a white citizen. 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