TY - JOUR
T1 - Police Unionism, Accountability, and Misconduct
AU - Rad, Abdul Nasser
AU - Kirk, David S.
AU - Jones, William P.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Annual Reviews Inc.. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023/1/27
Y1 - 2023/1/27
N2 - Recent discussions of police violence in the United States and the corresponding lack of accountability have shone a light on a highly debated agent opposing police reform mdash police unions. Although police unionism continues to be an understudied area, a recent wave of empirical investigations, both qualitative and quantitative, have contributed to a nascent understanding of the ways in which police union mechanisms facilitate police misconduct and violence. Accordingly, in this review we first discuss the origins of police unionism in the United States, illustrating how historical forces, including racial animus, have shaped the existing landscape. Then, we highlight significant empirical work exploring the relationship between police unionism and misconduct. Thereafter, we review the potential intervening mechanisms, which are employed in ways to reduce disciplinary consequences of misconduct and excessive use of force, undermine oversight of the police, and limit police transparency. We end with a set of recommendations on future avenues for research.
AB - Recent discussions of police violence in the United States and the corresponding lack of accountability have shone a light on a highly debated agent opposing police reform mdash police unions. Although police unionism continues to be an understudied area, a recent wave of empirical investigations, both qualitative and quantitative, have contributed to a nascent understanding of the ways in which police union mechanisms facilitate police misconduct and violence. Accordingly, in this review we first discuss the origins of police unionism in the United States, illustrating how historical forces, including racial animus, have shaped the existing landscape. Then, we highlight significant empirical work exploring the relationship between police unionism and misconduct. Thereafter, we review the potential intervening mechanisms, which are employed in ways to reduce disciplinary consequences of misconduct and excessive use of force, undermine oversight of the police, and limit police transparency. We end with a set of recommendations on future avenues for research.
KW - collective bargaining
KW - law enforcement bill of rights
KW - police accountability
KW - police misconduct
KW - police unions
KW - use of force
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85147668268&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85147668268&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1146/annurev-criminol-030421-034244
DO - 10.1146/annurev-criminol-030421-034244
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85147668268
SN - 2572-4568
VL - 6
SP - 181
EP - 203
JO - Annual Review of Criminology
JF - Annual Review of Criminology
ER -