“The Talk” regarding minority youth interactions with police

Abstract

This mixed methods descriptive study is an effort to describe whether “The Talk” (regarding behavior during interactions with police) occurs equally in African American, Latino, and White families and to determine the content of these conversations. A sample of 307 university students, in three areas of Texas, were surveyed with closed and open-ended items. Data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and t-test difference between proportion analyses and qualitatively through a process of coding to identify patterns and themes in the open-ended responses. The findings reveal that a majority (74%) of the youth surveyed have had “The Talk” with their parents/guardians, and this influences their perceptions of the police. Unsurprisingly, African Americans were found to be more fearful and distrustful of law enforcement than Whites and Latinos. Latinos shared many similar, more positive, perceptions of law enforcement with Whites in contrast to African Americans. Whites, however, evidenced the most faith in law enforcement and in the idea that their complaints about police misconduct would attain results.

Keywords:

• Blacks
• Latinos
• procedural justice
• The Talk

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Myrna Cintron

Myrna Cintron is an Associate Professor in the Department of Justice Studies in the College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology at Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas, USA. She has over 20 years teaching experience. Her broader research and teaching interest include minorities in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. Her research has largely focused on Latino issues and recent work addresses unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S. border and police youth interaction.

Marika Dawkins

Marika Dawkins is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, Texas, USA. She has published on both juvenile and criminal justice-related issues. Her most publications include “A Profile of the Caribbean Region: Recent Trends in Crime and Violence” and “Drug Trafficking in the Caribbean: A Jamaican Case Study,” which appear in Crime and Violence in the Caribbean: Lessons from Jamaica (Lexington Books). Her research interests include policing, juvenile justice, crime and justice in the Caribbean, and illicit drugs. She is the current Chair of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.

Camille Gibson

Camille Gibson is Interim Dean of the College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology and Executive Director of the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center at Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas, USA. Her publications address topics such as drug trafficking, gangs in schools, race and school suspensions, juvenile sex offenders, child abuse, sex trafficking, and juvenile violence. Her professional service includes offering juvenile justice reform assistance in Jamaica and in Trinidad and Tobago. She is both a Niederhoffer Memorial Fellowship and a Felix Fabian Award recipient. She has served on the boards of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and as President of the Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice.

Milton C. Hill

Milton C. Hill is an Associate Professor at Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, USA. He earned a Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Administration (1996) and a Ph.D. in Criminology/Criminal Justice (2013) from Sam Houston State University. His research interests include examining the role of religion in delinquency and criminality, police officer safety (particularly related to line-of-duty deaths), police officer stress and suicide, and the study of the effects of the “Blue Culture” on police officers.