Study: Both Public, Police View Black Kids As Older, Less Innocent Than Whites

According to research published by the American Psychological Association, Black boys as young as 10 are proven to not be given the same presumption of childhood innocence as their White peers. Instead, they’re considered to be much older than what they are, perceived to be guilty, and face police violence if accused of a crime.

The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, sought to examine the extent to which the racial bias exists and how significant the consequences are. Speaking on the report, Phillip Atiba Goff, PhD, explained, “Children in most societies are considered to be in a distinct group with characteristics, such as innocence and the need for protection. Our research found that Black boys can be seen as responsible for their actions at an age when White boys still benefit from the assumption that children are essentially innocent.”

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No data on shootings by police

Within the Crime in the United States report from the FBI, one can find police employee data by status (sworn/civilian), among many other statistics.

However, national data on shootings by police is not collected: "The nation's leading law enforcement agency collects vast amounts of information on crime nationwide, but missing from this clearinghouse are statistics on where, how often, and under what circumstances police use deadly force. In fact, no one anywhere comprehensively tracks the most significant act police can do in the line of duty: take a life.

"'We don't have a mandate to do that,' said William Carr, an FBI spokesman in Washington, D.C. 'It would take a request from Congress for us to collect that data.'

"Congress, it seems, hasn't asked."