Doctoral Dissertation Research: Examining Perceptions and Spatial Interactions Between Children and Law Enforcement

这项博士论文研究考察了警察和少数族裔儿童之间的空间互动，以及这些接触对儿童感知和体验的影响。警察部门越来越依赖各种警务技术，包括使用生物特征和空间侧写数据。然而，关于这些警务技术的相互作用及其对当地社区，特别是有色人种社区的社会和地理影响的研究很少。了解这些技术如何影响儿童对警察、身份、地点和个人安全的看法，有可能改善执法和公共福祉。作为博士论文研究改进奖，该项目将提供支持，使有前途的年轻学者建立独立的研究生涯。博士生将研究警察和少数族裔儿童之间的感知和空间互动。具体地说，这项研究问的是，执法与少数族裔社区儿童之间的空间互动是什么，以及这些互动对儿童福祉有什么影响。博士生将使用混合方法通过访谈、焦点小组和参与者观察来收集数据。儿童的感知和空间互动将通过制作图画、漫画和心理地图等视觉解释材料来理解。调查结果将在社区研讨会、社区理事会会议和警察社区会议上公布，旨在开启关于警察政策、做法和社区影响的对话。这项研究将分析警务技术对少数群体儿童的社会和地理影响，并为警察、儿童和社区互动提供信息。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This doctoral dissertation research examines the spatial interactions between police and children from minority groups, and the impacts of those encounters on children's perceptions and experiences. Police departments rely increasingly on various policing technologies, including the use of biometric and spatial profiling data. Yet there is little research on the interplay of these policing technologies and their social and geographic impacts on local communities, particularly communities of color. Understanding how these technologies impact children's perceptions of policing, identity, place, and personal security have the potential of improving law enforcement and public well-being. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this project will provide support to enable a promising young scholar to establish an independent research career.The doctoral student will examine perceptions and spatial interactions between police and children from minority groups. Specifically, this research asks, what are the spatial interactions between law-enforcement and children from minority communities, and what are the impacts on children's well-being of those interactions. The doctoral student will use a mixed-method approach to collect data through interviews, focus groups, and participant observation. Children's perceptions and spatial interactions will be understood via the production of visual interpretive materials such as drawings, comics, and mental maps. Findings will be presented in community workshops, community-council meetings and police-community meetings in ways designed to open dialog regarding police policies, practices, and community impacts. This research will provide an analysis of the social and geographic impacts of policing technologies on children from minority groups with implications for informing police, child, and community interactions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.