Predictors of State Violence Towards Women

Background: Police violence has been increasingly identified as a public health concern in the U.S.; yet few studies have assessed police violence among women. High rates of interpersonal violence (e.g., intimate partner violence, sexual assault) has been documented among women, including women’s multiple and co-occurring exposures to interpersonal violence throughout the life course. The World Health Organization notes that responses to violence are often fragmented and connections between varying forms of violence (e.g., interpersonal and state violence) are often overlooked. Furthermore, a growing body of research suggests that women reporting interpersonal violence to police often receive inadequate or inappropriate responses from police following their report; thus, women’s exposures to police violence may be associated with experiences of interpersonal violence; however this relationship has not been empirically tested. This study 1) identifies the sociodemographic characteristics associated with police violence among women; and 2) examines the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual violence (SV), and police violence.

Methods: Data from the Survey of Police-Public Encounters were used to examine the prevalence and nature of police violence among women in the sample (N=932). Sociodemographic characteristics included age, race/ethnicity, annual household income, educational attainment, sexual orientation, foreign born, history of crime involvement, and history of mental health diagnosis. Lifetime police violence exposures were measured using the Police Practice Inventory (PPI), consisting of 6 dichotomous indicators assessing physical, psychological, and sexual police violence and neglect by police. Lifetime IPV and SV were assessed using modified measures from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. Chi-square tests were used to assess associations between police encounters and sociodemographic characteristics. Binary logistic regressions were used to examine the relationship between IPV, SV, and police violence, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics.

Results: Results reveal lifetime prevalence of sexual (3.3%), physical (4%), and psychological (14.4%) police violence and neglect (17.2%), with higher rates of police violence documented among racial and ethnic minority women and economically disadvantaged women. Findings also indicate that a substantial proportion of women with experiences of IPV and SV have also experienced police violence. Although causal mechanisms between interpersonal and police violence cannot be determined, findings suggest that intimate partner violence and sexual violence victims are experiencing harmful interactions or at minimum, neglectful responses from police, which can deter future help-seeking and reporting to police.

Conclusion: Rates of police violence among all women in the sample are concerning and warrant further investigation. Some populations of women, particularly Black and Latina women and economically disadvantaged women, may be at higher risk for encountering police violence as well as exposures to both interpersonal and police violence. Findings suggest that community-centered policing initiatives and other efforts aimed at eliminating police violence should be gender-inclusive. Violence prevention programs should consider the extent to which police violence exposures impact help-seeking and reporting to police, as well as the consequences of inadequate or neglectful police responses to IPV and SV, which has clear implications for women’s safety and wellbeing.