Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep;47(5):502-512.
doi: 10.1002/ab.21970. Epub 2021 May 5.

Addressing the inappropriate use of force by police in the United States and beyond: A behavioral and social science perspective

Paul Boxer  1 , Rod K Brunson  2 , Noni Gaylord-Harden  3 , Kimberly Kahn  4 , Desmond U Patton  5 , Joseph Richardson  6 , Luis M Rivera  1 , Jocelyn R Smith Lee  7 , Mario S Staller  8 , Barbara Krahé  9 , Eric F Dubow  10 , Dominic Parrott  11 , Kaylise Algrim  1
Affiliations

Addressing the inappropriate use of force by police in the United States and beyond: A behavioral and social science perspective

Paul Boxer et al. Aggress Behav. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Recent high-profile incidents involving the deadly application of force in the United States sparked worldwide protests and renewed scrutiny of police practices as well as scrutiny of relations between police officers and minoritized communities. In this report, we consider the inappropriate use of force by police from the perspective of behavioral and social science inquiry related to aggression, violence, and intergroup relations. We examine the inappropriate use of force by police in the context of research on modern policing as well as critical race theory and offer five recommendations suggested by contemporary theory and research. Our recommendations are aimed at policymakers, law enforcement administrators, and scholars and are as follows: (1) Implement public policies that can reduce inappropriate use of force directly and through the reduction of broader burdens on the routine activities of police officers. (2) For officers frequently engaged in use-of-force incidents, ensure that best practice, evidence-based treatments are available and required. (3) Improve and increase the quality and delivery of noncoercive conflict resolution training for all officers, along with police administrative policies and supervision that support alternatives to the use of force, both while scaling back the militarization of police departments. (4) Continue the development and evaluation of multicomponent interventions for police departments, but ensure they incorporate evidence-based, field-tested components. (5) Expand research in the behavioral and social sciences aimed at understanding and managing use-of-force by police and reducing its disproportionate impact on minoritized communities, and expand funding for these lines of inquiry.

Keywords: police; use of force | minoritized populations.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Abdul-Rahman, L., Grau, H. E., Klaus, L., & Singelnstein, T. (2020). Rassismus und Diskriminierungserfahrungen im Kontext polizeilicher Gewaltausübung. Zweiter Zwischenbericht zum Forschungsprojekt “Körperverletzung im Amt durch Polizeibeamt*innen” (KviAPol) [Racism and Experiences of Discrimination in the Context of Police Violence. Second Interim Report on the Research Project “Assault in Office by Police Officers”]. Ruhr-Universität Bochum
    1. Alexander, M. (2012). The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness. The New Press
    1. Allen, J. J., & Anderson, C. A. (2017). Aggression and violence: Definitions and distinctions. In P. Sturmey The Wiley handbook of violence and aggression (pp. 1-14). New York: Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119057574.whbva001
    1. Amodio, D. M., & Swencionis, J. K. (2018). Proactive control of implicit bias: A theoretical model and implications for behavior change. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(2), 255-275.
    1. Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2002). Human aggression. Annual Review of Psychology, 53(1), 27-51. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135231

LinkOut - more resources