An Investigation into the Political and Sociocultural Sources of Public Support for Police Brutality in the Americas

• In Event: Public Opinion, Democracy, and Crime in the Americas. Analyzing the Causes and Consequences of Crime and Crime Control Policies.

Abstract

Studies of police aggression have traditionally focused on the types of individuals likely to be affected by extralegal policing. While findings from such studies are critical for educating the public and informing criminal justice policy, there remains a noteworthy gap in the literature with respect to the political and sociocultural circumstances under which police brutality arises. Few researchers have considered the role of public opinion as a source of continued, implicit support for police’s use of violence. The current study attempts to mitigate this gap by exploring three theoretically-informed potential sources of public support for police aggression within the United States and the southernmost region of Latin America—social control, fear of crime, and procedural justice. Analysis of four countries from the 2012 AmericasBarometer public opinion survey indicates that while individual’s trust in the government and in the police have the most significant effects on support for aggressive policing across, a great deal of variability exists in terms of the “type of person” who is most likely to view these practices favorably in each country. These findings suggest the need to further evaluate the role of the political and sociocultural context that may contribute to legitimate and perpetuate police brutality.

Authors

• Jessica N. Walzak, Florida State University

• Alexa Singer, Florida State University

• Cecilia Chouhy, Florida State University

• Marc Gertz, Florida State University

• Peter S. Lehmann, Florida State University