Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Leadership Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Julian Hayter
Abstract
In recent years, police shootings of unarmed African American men have become nationally visible. With few exceptions, the police officers involved in those shootings have escaped any criminal penalties. This paper addresses why so few police officers are convicted after shooting unarmed African Americans. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it addresses three aspects of the criminal justice system: prosecutorial power, Supreme Court case law, and jury bias. This paper argues that the legal system is structured to protect police officers from liability, making it unable to deliver justice after on-duty police shootings of unarmed African American men.
Recommended Citation
Fleischer, Eliana R., "A License to Kill: The Institutional Failure of the Legal System to Hold Police Accountable" (2020). Honors Theses. 1441.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/1441