lee-et-al-2019-risk-of-being-killed-by-police-use-of-force-in-the-united-states-by-age-race-ethnicity-and-sex

Introduction

• Study by Frank Edwards, Hedwig Lee, Michael Esposito on police-involved deaths in the U.S.

• Aimed to estimate risks of being killed by police varying across social groups based on age, race-ethnicity, and sex.

• Key findings reveal disparities in risks of police violence among different racial and ethnic groups.

Key Findings

Risk Disparities by Race and Gender

• African American men and women, American Indian/Alaska Native men and women, and Latino men:

  • Higher lifetime risk of being killed by police compared to white peers.

• Latina women and Asian/Pacific Islander men and women:

  • Lower risk of being killed by police than white counterparts.

• Black men:

  • Highest risk, with about 1 in 1,000 chance of being killed by police over a lifetime.

  • Average lifetime odds for men is 1 in 2,000 and for women 1 in 33,000.

• Risk peaks between ages 20 and 35 for all groups.

Context and Background

• Violent encounters with police impact health, neighborhood stability, and political dynamics.

• Historical events like deaths of Oscar Grant, Michael Brown, and others highlight racialized police violence.

• Recognition in social and public health literature of the role of police encounters in driving health inequalities.

Methodology

Data Sources

• Utilized Fatal Encounters (FE) for data on deaths involving police.

  • Identifies cases via public records and news coverage.

• Employed Bayesian simulation and multilevel models to analyze mortality estimates.

• The study excludes deaths deemed suicides and accidents.

Estimation Techniques

• Created period life tables to estimate the risk of death over the life course.

• Assumed stability of risk profiles observed from 2013 to 2018.

• Qualitative assessment of uncertainties within mortality estimates.

Risk Estimates and Ratios

Lifetime Risk by Race and Sex

• Estimation shows:

  • 52 deaths per 100,000 men and boys due to police use of force.

  • 3 deaths per 100,000 women and girls.

  • Black men are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by police than white men.

  • Differences in risk across racial groups:

    • American Indian men: 1.2 to 1.7 times more than white men.

    • Latino men: 1.3 to 1.4 times more than white men.

    • Latina women: 12% to 23% less than white women.

    • Asian/Pacific Islander men and women: 50% less likely to be killed than white counterparts.

Age-Specific Risk Analysis

Male Death Rates by Age and Race

• Risk of being killed by police peaks at young adulthood (age 20-35).

• Between ages 25 and 29:

  • Black men: 2.8 to 4.1 per 100,000.

  • American Indian men: 1.5 to 2.8 per 100,000.

  • Latino men: 1.4 to 2.2 per 100,000.

  • White men: 0.9 to 1.4 per 100,000.

Female Death Rates by Age and Race

• Women’s risk about 20 times lower than men’s risk across all ages.

• Highest risk observed among black women and American Indian women:

  • Expected between 2.4 and 5.4 black women killed per 100,000.

• Lowest risk among Asian/Pacific Islander women:

  • Expected about 0.6 per 100,000.

Discussion

Implications of Findings

• Police violence significantly impacts young men, especially men of color.

• Clear disparities related to race, gender, and age in mortality from police violence.

• Need for police violence to be treated as a critical public health issue.

Recommendations

• Advocating for better data collection and tracking of officer-involved deaths.

• Suggesting reallocation of resources towards community services to mitigate risks.

• Encouraging public involvement in oversight of policing practices.

Methodological Considerations

• This analysis highlights potential limitations regarding subnational variations in data.

• The need for more comprehensive and authoritative data to inform policymaking.

Conclusion

• Study contributes significant insights into the risk of fatal police encounters in the U.S.

• Further research needed to explore intersectional factors influencing exposure to police violence.