“They beat the shit out of me”: adolescents’ understanding of police violence and its implications for police legitimacy

• In Event: POL Panel 23. The impact and experiences of use of force and the promise of control mechanisms

Abstract

There is a rich literature demonstrating how police legitimacy is influenced by the quality of treatment officers provide during their interactions with the public. This study aimed to assess adolescents’ comprehension of police stops and the behavior of officers during these encounters. We examined the interpretations adolescents give to stop-and-frisk actions. Twenty adolescents, aged 14 to 16, were interviewed in two different Brazilian states: 11 from pre-trail juvenile detention centers in Rio Grande do Sul and 9 with no prior offending history in São Paulo. The results reveal police stops are a common experience for young citizens, particularly black males. Adolescents in both contexts recognize police approaches as legitimate, provided they adhere to certain standards. In general, both groups understand a “normal” police stop as a situation that involves some sort of violence, such as a slap on the face. However, court-involved youth reported more severe physical violence, death threats, and humiliation during stops. The perception of what is normal for officers to do may impact the way adolescents see the institution itself while also undermining their sense of citizenship. These results shed light on our current understanding of the importance of procedural justice during citizen-officer encounters, once the usual targets of police actions expect that police stops involve not only the use of force but also the use of violence or degrading treatment. The adolescents’ experience informs that the picture they have of the police is already outside of the ideal definitions of a procedurally fair institution.

Author

• Debora Piccirillo, University of São Paulo