Disparities in Latino arrests for drunk in public in San Jose, California: Investigating hypotheses.

摘要

This dissertation examined relationships between Latino ethnicity and arrest variables using a random sample (N = 320) of 2006--2009 police reports for the offense of Drunk in Public (DIP) in San Jose, California. The ten proposed hypotheses were grounded in theories and hypotheses that address ethnic disparities in arrest rates including racial threat theory (Blalock, 1967), the police discretion hypothesis (Ousey & Lee, 2008), and the spatial opportunity hypothesis (Ousey & Lee, 2008). In addition, this dissertation examined the relationships between Latino ethnicity and (a) police use of force, (b) receiving injuries from the arresting officer, and (c) the suspect being described as aggressive, while controlling for resisting arrest. Significant relationships were found between ethnicity, location of arrest, time of arrest, and injuries received by the suspect from the arresting officer. However, due to the correlational nature of this study causality could not be inferred. The findings indicate that more research is needed on the relationships between Latino ethnicity and arrest location, arrest time, and suspects receiving injuries from the arresting officer. These results also highlight the circumstances surrounding the disproportionate arrest rate of Latino males for DIP, not only increasing law enforcement transparency and community awareness, but informing a foundation for evidence-based arrest practices.