Police's attribution of racial inequality in the criminal justice system: a case of non-binary color-blindness

This study critically examines how police officers attribute racial disparities within the US criminal justice system. For this inquiry, the study used in-depth interviews with 65 police officers from 4 police departments in a midwestern county. The findings revealed that 17 of these police officers invoked structural explanations to account for racial disparities prevalent in the US. However, this apparent racial awareness prompted them to underscore the pervasiveness of racism beyond the realms of criminal justice. Consequently, they attributed racial inequities within the criminal justice system to structural racism entrenched in non-criminal justice institutions, thereby rationalizing the current policing institution. This finding highlights the efficacy of a non-binary notion of color-blind ideology to elucidate the flexible and adaptable cultural frameworks that sustain racial hierarchies. Moreover, it enriches the scholarship on racialized organizations, occupations, and work by discussing the ideological limits of change in fostering racial equity within an occupation.