NCJ Number
220240
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 23 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2007 Pages: 226-238
Date Published
August 2007
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This research study examined the characteristics of racial profiling that reach Federal courts.
Abstract
Based on the review of these Federal cases, the research reveals that racial profiling cases are on the decline. Also, most of the persons alleging they were racially profiled were African-American and Hispanic. More than half of the persons making racial profiling allegations were caught engaging in criminal activity during the incident that instigated the legal suit. In addition, most of the incidents involved multiple male officers, employed by local police departments. Lastly, the research found that persons making racial profiling allegations were in less than a third of the cases. Long before criminologists and others began investigating racial profiling, racial and ethnic-minorities in American had long implied or asserted that they were targeted for stops and searches by law enforcement, simply because of the color of their skin. Public opinion polls taken in the late 1990s found that racial profiling exists. This study examined 135 Federal-level racial profiling cases. The goal of this study was to examine the nature of Federal-level racial profiling cases in Federal courts. Tables, references