Replication Data for: Evidence of Caste-Class Discrimination from a Conjoint Analysis of Law Enforcement Officers

When choosing what cases to investigate, do the police discriminate on the basis of caste and class? We employ a conjoint design to evaluate biases in police officers' preferences for investigation based upon perpetrator attributes. Conducting a survey of law enforcement officers in Nepal, we find evidence of discriminatory investigation practices. Absent constraining protocols that reduce officer discretion, police officers are more likely to target offenders who are from caste-class subjugated communities. Additionally, police officers' assessments of institutional investigatory preferences reveal caste-based considerations: officers believe the police, in general, prefer to investigate low-caste offenders over high-caste offenders. They do not, however, perceive their institution as having class-based biases. These findings add to the body of evidence on whether police discriminate, which has previously focused on use of lethal force and police stops, and further demonstrate that concerns over systemic bias in policing are warranted.

警方在遴选侦查案件时，是否会基于种姓与阶级实施歧视？本研究采用联合实验设计（conjoint design），评估警员基于犯罪者特征选择侦查对象时存在的偏见。我们针对尼泊尔执法人员开展了一项调查，结果发现侦查实践中存在歧视行为的相关证据：在缺乏约束性规程以限制警员自由裁量权的情况下，警员更倾向于将来自受种姓与阶级压迫群体的犯罪者列为侦查目标。此外，警员对机构侦查偏好的认知也体现出基于种姓的考量——警员普遍认为，警方整体上更倾向于侦查低种姓犯罪者而非高种姓犯罪者，但警员并未感知到其所在机构存在基于阶级的偏见。本研究的发现扩充了现有关于警方是否存在歧视的研究证据体系，此前该领域的研究多聚焦于致命武力使用与执法拦截行为，本研究进一步证实，公众对警务体系中系统性偏见的担忧确有其合理性。