Literature Review On Racial Profiling

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Literature Review Lee et al. (2007) argues that racial profiling has become a leading issue for law enforcements which has been driven by the public and political interest. Lee et al, (2007), also states that race is used as a justification in police decision making during discretionary traffic and field stops, this usually relates back to racial profiling. Racial profiling takes place when law enforcement officers rely solely on race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion as one of the many factors in determining who to stop and search (Lee et al, 2007). However, race is only one part of the suspicion aspect along with other factors such as gender, age, general appearance and behavior. Since there is no concrete evidence corresponding …show more content…

Those who appear Arab are easily singled out for questions and security checks (Lee et al, 2007). This is all based on their skin color, clothing, names or even religious beliefs. This is not appropriate as it does become offensive to some individuals. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that social, political and scientific norms require that we should not only use racial categories or stereotypes to make our decisions (Lee et al, 2007). It is hard to understand the perception and actuality of racial profiling as there is a discrepancy between what really happens and what is perceived to occur (Lee et al, 2007). Race has been one factor that determines the attitudes of individuals towards the police, along with racial profiling (Graziano et al, 2010). The reason race plays such a big role towards police officers is because they misuse their authority throughout certain situations. Graziano et al (2010), also discusses those individuals who feel to be a target of racial profiling have had extremely negative attitudes towards police officers as they have experienced it on a personal bases. The information we receive of racial profiling and police brutality is generated from the media, though sometimes media does not always provide concrete …show more content…

If high school students were stopped every time they saw a police officer that student will begin thinking if they keep stopping me, they might as well make it a real reason. And it is true as it is stated by Tanovich (2006), “Will likely develop a chip on his shoulder, an attitude, or a distrust of authority—all of which will be interpreted negatively”. Law enforcement officers need to keep in mind that their actions may possibly cause a negative reaction. In comparison, Higgins et al (2015), does describe the “War on Drugs” practice to quickly help eliminate or identify the potential suspects and allows officers to become more efficient at proactive law enforcement. Overall, it has also been documented that racial profiling has been misused in a way that has allowed officers to act upon their biases (Higgins et al,