Adolescents' views of defunding the police, abolishing the police, and “The Talk”

Fine, Adam; Toro, Juan Del

doi:10.1002/jcop.22810

Cited by 18 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(65 reference statements)

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“…Moreover, there were differences by race and ethnicity. Broadly, people of color reported feeling more obligated to obey police out of a fear of police, which is unsurprising given racial and ethnic differences in how frequently families of color give children “the talk” about police that they feel is necessary to enable their children to grow up safely (Cooper et al, 2020; Elliott & Reid, 2019; A. D. Fine & Del Toro, 2022) and the racial divide in fear of police (Pickett et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Did George Floyd’s murder shape the public’s felt obligation to obey the police?

Cross¹,

Tom²,

Wallace³

et al. 2023

Law and Human Behavior

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Objective: Our goal in the present study was to use longitudinal data to assess how normative (i.e., consensually motivated) and instrumental (i.e., coercively motivated) obligation to obey police changed after police murdered George Floyd and whether these changes differed by political ideology. Hypotheses: Using procedural justice theory, we hypothesized that after Floyd’s murder, participants would feel less normatively obligated and more instrumentally obligated to obey police. We also hypothesized that these trends would be stronger for liberal-leaning than conservative-leaning participants. Method: Adults (N = 645) were recruited through Prolific from four politically diverse U.S. states. Participants reported their normative and instrumental obligation across three waves of data collection, each separated by 3 weeks. The first two waves were collected prior to the Floyd’s murder, and the third was collected after. Results: Hierarchical linear models indicated that although normative obligation remained stable before Floyd’s murder, it declined after Floyd’s murder (b = −0.19, 95% CI [−0.24, −0.14], p < .001). In contrast, coercive obligation to obey increased consistently across all three waves. Liberal-leaning participants drove most of the effects. Conclusions: For researchers, these findings help strengthen our understanding of procedural justice theory by differentiating normative and instrumental obligation and by distinguishing differences by political ideology within the context of a historic police-brutality event. For policymakers and law enforcement, our research suggests that police brutality may undermine the public’s normative felt obligation to obey the police, which would be problematic for police reformation efforts grounded in governing by mutual consent versus by fear and coercion.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Did George Floyd’s murder shape the public’s felt obligation to obey the police?

Cross¹,

Tom²,

Wallace³

et al. 2023

Law and Human Behavior

Self Cite

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“…This documentary outlined the conversation that occurs in many households across the United States, in which parents of Black children talk to them about how to interact with law enforcement. Research supports the notion that the experiences of White and non-White adolescents in the legal system are vastly different, which impacts evaluations of, and attitudes toward, legal authorities (April et al, 2022;Fine & Del Toro, 2022;Malone Gonzalez, 2019;Nellis & Richardson, 2010;Peck, 2015;Piquero et al, 2005;Puzzanchera, 2009;Tyler & Huo, 2002). Yet, with few exceptions (Fine et al, 2017;Woolard et al, 2008), little research has examined how differences in age and race relate to delinquent and ruleviolating behavior.…”

mentioning

confidence: 83%

Racial differences in legal socialization models across adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Cole¹,

Moschella-Smith²,

Hennigan³

et al. 2023

Law and Human Behavior

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Objective: White and non-White adolescents report different experiences in the legal system. This disparity impacts their evaluations of, and attitudes toward, legal authorities such that non-White and older adolescents tend to perceive the legal system more negatively. Yet, many researchers assume that the process of legal socialization, which involves internalizing norms and information about the law and the legal system, is universal for all ages and races. Hypotheses: We hypothesized that legal socialization models would change over the course of adolescent development and would differ by race. Method: We used data from two longitudinal studies to examine racial differences in the integrated legal socialization model in early, middle, and late adolescence. Study 1 included 140 young adolescents (59% White, 41% non-White), and Study 2 included 296 midadolescents (82% White, 18% non-White) followed into late adolescence/emerging adulthood. Results: Study 1 identified differences in the integrated legal socialization model for young White and non-White adolescents. Normative status predicted rule-violating behavior for White participants, whereas no predictors or mediators related to rule-violating behavior for non-White participants. In Study 2, legal and moral reasoning during midadolescence became relevant in the model for both groups. Enforcement status predicted rule-violating behavior for non-White youth, whereas normative status continued to predict rule-violating behavior for White youth. In late adolescence/emerging adulthood, differences in the model shifted toward the relation between reasoning and legal attitudes. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that legal socialization is a developmental process occurring and changing throughout adolescence and that this developmental process differs for White and non-White youth. Public Significance StatementThe findings of this study indicate that legal socialization may not be a "one-size-fits-all" process across youth of different racial backgrounds. It is important that researchers explore the different cognitive processes that occur in adolescence, in addition to youths' differing experiences with the law, to better understand legal socialization for youth of color. Practitioners and policy makers should also take a tailored and more sensitive approach when implementing delinquency-reduction techniques and programs for youth of different racial backgrounds.

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“…Indeed, one could view intergroup differentiation to be partly expressed through views on defunding, a rallying call for change in policing. If people are motivated to differentiate between groups, generating positive identity from positive distinctiveness vis-à-vis an outgroup, then they are more likely to define defunding in opposing ways and be strongly for or against the idea according to their group positions (Fine & Del Toro, 2022). If stances on the defund issue become caught up in intergroup dynamics, a site of contestation used to help define in-and outgroup categories, then aiming for a positive sense of in-group distinctiveness (intergroup differentiation that enhances self-esteem) may lead people who identify with the police to "push back" against BLM (and consistent with this, oppose defunding the police), while people who identify with BLM may push back against the police (and consistent with this, support defunding), with these stances taken at least in part because conflicting viewpoints represent conflicting groups (Sherif, 1966;Taşdemir, 2011).…”

Section: Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Social identity and support for defunding the police in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder

Jackson

Fine

Bradford

et al. 2023

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

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In the spring and summer of 2020, police in the United States killed Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and other unarmed people of color. In one of the largest social movements in the nation’s history, thousands engaged in public protests and called to defund or abolish the police. Debate about police racism and the need for reform intensified, with public opinion polls showing how polarized public attitudes were along traditional political lines. Analyzing data from a cross-sectional quota sample survey of 1,500 U.S. residents conducted in summer 2020, our findings confirmed the proposition that opposition and support for defunding the police was related to not only political views and superordinate identification with the group that the police prototypically represent, but also polarized intergroup identification with the police and the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as people’s perceptions of police procedural justice and systemic racism.

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Adolescents' views of defunding the police, abolishing the police, and “The Talk”

Cited by 18 publications

References 49 publications

Did George Floyd’s murder shape the public’s felt obligation to obey the police?

Did George Floyd’s murder shape the public’s felt obligation to obey the police?

Racial differences in legal socialization models across adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Social identity and support for defunding the police in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder

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