Racial Socialization: The Development of Perceptions about Law Enforcement toward among a sample of College Students

In the U.S., relations between minorities and police are at an all-time low; with strong evidence suggesting that minority males, are more likely to possess negative perceptions of the police. The current study examines whether gender, immigration generational status, and race/ethnicity impact how parents socialize their offspring to interact with the police. A survey was administered to gather retrospective information from participants about the factors influencing young adult’s perceptions and beliefs regarding police officers. The results suggest that third generation immigrants received “the talk” more comprehensively than their first- generation counterparts. Further, third generation immigrants and males were more likely to receive the youth culture component of “the talk.”