How parents advise their children to navigate encounters with law enforcement varies significantly by children’s race and gender, according to a new study led by Ashley Jackson, assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Dr. Jackson and her co-authors examined data collected from 2017 to 2019 in six school districts in St. Louis County, Missouri. Over the course of the study, over 3,500 students between the ages of 10 and 18 were periodically surveyed about their experiences with police contact and whether their parents had spoken to them about what to do if stopped by the police (“The Talk”). Overall, Black youth, boys, and students who had been exposed to police contact were significantly more likely to receive “The Talk” than other groups.
Compared with Black youth, White or Latino students had 59 percent lower odds, Native American students had 45 percent lower odds, and Asian students had 71 percent lower odds of receiving “The Talk.”
“Simply put, the fact that families must have these conversations is stressful,” said Dr. Jackson. “Thus, it’s important for practitioners – teachers, clinicians – to be aware of the structural inequities that their clients must navigate and be thoughtful when offering their clients advice about who to turn to for help in emergent situations.”
Dr. Jackson is a graduate of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in the administration of justice. She holds a master of social work degree from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in social work from Washington University in St. Louis.
