Police Stop and Frisk and the Impact of Race: A Focal Concerns Theory Approach

Anthony Vito, George Higgins and Gennaro Vito
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Anthony Vito: Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Ball State University, 2000 W University Ave., Muncie, IN 47306, USA
George Higgins: Department of Criminal Justice, University of Louisville, 2301 S 3rd St., Louisville, KY 40292, USA
Gennaro Vito: Department of Criminal Justice, University of Louisville, 2301 S 3rd St., Louisville, KY 40292, USA

Social Sciences, 2021, vol. 10, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: The findings of this study outline the racial differences in stop and frisk decisions by Illinois officers in consent searches and those based upon reasonable suspicion within the context of the elements of focal concerns theory. The analysis for this study was performed using propensity score matching (PSM) and allowed the researchers to create a quasi-experimental design to examine the race of the citizen and police decision making. According to our analysis of official Illinois law enforcement data, Black citizens, particularly males, were less likely to give their consent to a stop and frisk search. Black male citizens were also more likely to be stopped and searched due to an assessment of reasonable suspicion by the officer. Elements of focal concerns theory were also factors in pedestrian stops under conditions of consent and reasonable suspicion. Citizens judged as blameworthy were more likely to be stopped and frisked under conditions of consent and reasonable suspicion. The effect of a verbal threat and the officer’s prior knowledge about the citizen had even more significant impacts.

Keywords: stop and frisk; racial profiling; propensity score matching; focal concerns theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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