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Mental health, race, and police contact: intersections of risk and trust in the police

Mental health, race, and police contact: intersections of risk and trust in the police PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand whether mental health status – either alone or in conjunction with race – affects perceptions of police legitimacy.Design/methodology/approachUsing survey data collected from Portland, Oregon residents (n=259), this research examines predictors of trust in the police.FindingsResults show that individuals with a history of mental illness are similar to African-American respondents: both are especially distrustful of the police. The combination of race and mental illness does not appear to create additional levels of distrust.Social implicationsThis research suggests there are important racial and mental health disparities in perceived police legitimacy, and that these disparities will need to be addressed for the police to successfully combat crime and encourage compliance with the law.Originality/valueAlthough research has consistently highlighted how race affects perceptions of police legitimacy, research has not yet examined whether mental health status affects perceptions of police legitimacy; in addition to race, this paper highlights the unique perspectives of individuals with mental health concerns regarding policing. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management Emerald Publishing

Mental health, race, and police contact: intersections of risk and trust in the police

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References (40)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
1363-951X
DOI
10.1108/PIJPSM-02-2016-0015
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand whether mental health status – either alone or in conjunction with race – affects perceptions of police legitimacy.Design/methodology/approachUsing survey data collected from Portland, Oregon residents (n=259), this research examines predictors of trust in the police.FindingsResults show that individuals with a history of mental illness are similar to African-American respondents: both are especially distrustful of the police. The combination of race and mental illness does not appear to create additional levels of distrust.Social implicationsThis research suggests there are important racial and mental health disparities in perceived police legitimacy, and that these disparities will need to be addressed for the police to successfully combat crime and encourage compliance with the law.Originality/valueAlthough research has consistently highlighted how race affects perceptions of police legitimacy, research has not yet examined whether mental health status affects perceptions of police legitimacy; in addition to race, this paper highlights the unique perspectives of individuals with mental health concerns regarding policing.

Journal

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and ManagementEmerald Publishing

Published: Nov 21, 2016

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