According to a new study published in the journal Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, exposure to a large local police force during adolescence and young adulthood is associated with lower economic mobility for Black men in America.
In their analysis, the authors reviewed economic mobility data from Opportunity Insights alongside data regarding local police forces in 200 American cities during the 1990s. Their findings revealed that the cities with larger per capita size police forces during the 1990s were associated with an increased economic mobility gap between present-day Black men and White men. Furthermore, exposure to larger local police forces during adolescence was associated with higher rates of incarceration for Black men compared to White men. Notably, the same association was not found among Black women.
The authors note that “our study indicates efforts to reduce crime through more policing has offsetting, negative impacts on the mobility outcomes of Black males. Of course, depressed outcomes for Black males in turn negatively impact the well-being of prospective romantic partners, primarily Black females, with downstream consequences for their children, families, and their communities.”
The study was conducted by scholars from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Yale University.
