Ethnicity and the Police Part Ii: Outline

Ethnicity and the Police Part II: Outline

Discussed in this paper will be the public opinion of police by different ethnic groups, and their interactions with the police. Discussed in this paper will be police contact with neighborhoods, and police officers response to violent crimes involving different ethnic groups.

Latinos and African Americans state lower levels of satisfaction involving their interactions with law enforcement, compared to Caucasians. Latinos and African Americans report less compliance to follow orders given by authorities than Caucasians. This difference between Caucasians and minorities was clear with individuals who reported interactions with police officers compared to individuals who reported interactions with authorities in the courts (Huo, 2000).

Differences between Caucasians and minorities are their reactions to legal authorities and how fairly or unfairly he or she believes treatment was. When asked if authorities involved in their interactions were fair in making decisions, Latinos, and African Americans reported less fairness than Caucasians reported. An important factor in forming reactions to interactions with police was the perception of fair treatment. Most important was the concerns about the outcomes people received from authorities. This involved different situations with different ethnic groups. Positive outcomes and fair treatment increased among ethnic groups; however influences were diminished with Latinos compared to Caucasians (Huo, 2000).

A majority of interactions with legal authority were reported by minorities from a different ethnicity, compared to reports of the same ethnicity. Interactions with an authority of different ethnicity paid more attention to outcomes in forming compliance attitudes. People of different ethnic groups have similar conceptions with what constitutes procedural fairness. An authority is perceived to have acted fairly if he or she is respectful of the individual, and...