Author ORCID Identifier
Margaret Boittin: 0000-0002-5196-7102
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-7-2023
Source Publication
American Political Science Review 118.1 (2024): 504–511. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055422001496
Abstract
When choosing what cases to investigate, do the police discriminate on the basis of caste and class? We employ a conjoint design to evaluate biases in police officers’ preferences for investigation based on perpetrator attributes. Conducting a survey of law enforcement officers in Nepal, we find evidence of discriminatory investigation practices. Absent constraining protocols that reduce officer discretion, police officers are more likely to target offenders who are from caste-class subjugated communities. Additionally, police officers’ assessments of institutional investigatory preferences reveal caste-based considerations: officers believe the police, in general, prefer to investigate low-caste offenders over high-caste offenders. They do not, however, perceive their institution as having class-based biases. These findings add to the body of evidence on whether police discriminate, which has previously focused on use of lethal force and police stops, and further demonstrate that concerns over systemic bias in policing are warranted.
Repository Citation
Boittin, Margaret; Fisher, Rachel S.; and Mo, Cecilia Hyunjung, "Evidence of Caste-Class Discrimination from a Conjoint Analysis of Law Enforcement Officers" (2023). Articles & Book Chapters. 3189.
https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/scholarly_works/3189
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.