4 “Quantifying underreporting of law-enforcement-related deaths” African-American community, law enforcement, medical industry

Certain ethnic groups are the most disparaged groups of peoples within the law enforcement and healthcare system. Peoples such as Indigenous/Native Americans, Black/African Americans, Africans, Asians, and individuals of Latino/Hispanic descent experience racism and prejudice on a daily basis. The minorities listed above experience maltreatment and malpractice within law enforcement and the healthcare system which negatively impacts their value of life, greatly resulting in injury and death for minorities. In order to remedy the displacement and disenfranchisement of minorities within the community, critical race theory must be enforced and protected.

Within the law and healthcare system, certain ethnic groups experience racism and prejudice which negatively impacts the value within their lives and greatly results in injury or death. For instance, minorities are disproportionately treated worse than their White/Caucasian counterparts. According to the journal article, “Quantifying underreporting of law-enforcement-related deaths” by Feldman JM et al, regarding the number of fatalities due to injuries inflicted by law enforcement officers, “prior research suggests that United States governmental sources documenting the number of law-enforcement-related deaths undercount these incidents”. The excerpt argues United States governmental sources greatly undercount the amount of injuries and fatalities of minorities by law enforcement personnel. The article further provides information from an experimental research conducted. The conclusion of the research found that:

The media-based source, The Counted, reported a considerably higher proportion of law-enforcement-related deaths than the NVSS…rates of underreporting were higher in lower income counties…there was no evidence suggesting that underreporting varied by death investigator type (medical examiner versus coroner) or race/ethnicity. (Feldman JM et al)

The excerpt from the conclusion of the study indicates that, even though law-enforcement reports for deaths were higher than the NVSS (National Vital Statistics System), the rates of underreporting were higher in lower income counties.

Now, according to the convenient sampling survey taken from minorities within my vicinity, the research indicates that Black/African American individuals strongly believe that media-based sources and governmental sources do not release the accurate amount of minority deaths in fear of exposing the deep-rooted racism and prejudice within the history of the United States of America. It is no secret that minorities make up a majority of lower income counties, and so we are able to successfully infer that—even though the media-based sources and governmental sources might claim that there was no evidence suggesting underreporting regarding race/ethnicity—the results seem skewed or errored. To conclude, within the law and healthcare system certain ethnic groups experience disparagement and disenfranchisement that negatively impacts the value within their lives…especially when media-based or governmental sources refuse to acknowledge the homicide rate of minorities by law enforcement personnel is being purposefully skewed to conceal the fact that racism and prejudice is alive and kicking in the United States.

The research article, “Measuring inequalities in health from survey data using self-assessed social class” by Baćak, Valerio draws a comparison between the inequalities in health versus social class/wealth. Researchers conducted a stratified survey of people varying in age, race, and social class and the main finding of the study was that:

…participants who identified themselves as being lower on the social class scale reported worse health than those in the higher classes…these results suggest that subjectively identified social class absorbs some of their influence on health—although not entirely…the group for which the results deviated the most from the gradient pattern are blacks—self-assessed class was not significantly related to health….among African Americans, class captures something in addition to—or more than—educational attainment, income and occupational prestige. (Baćak)

The excerpt argues that, amongst the self-assessment of other races, ages, and social classes, only the self-assessment of Black/African Americans was not significant to health: however, education was significant to the health of Black/African Americans because educational attainment is equated to increased income, occupational prestige, and social class.

Yet, the study erred because it does not provide accurate results. To cite the remainder of its findings: “due to the sample size in that group was much smaller than for any other group, an alternative explanation might be that tests were underpowered to detect associations that may in fact exist”. The excerpt indicates that the results produced from the survey for Black/African Americans was skewed due to the lack of size of the group. The publication of incomplete or incorrect information on a specified minority group is detrimental to the progression of the minority group because it greatly impacts how others view and treat the minority group, especially in the healthcare industry. Now according to the convenient sampling survey taken from minorities within my vicinity, Black/African American individuals strongly believe that— due to the spread of misinformation—the complaints and plights of Black/African American patients within healthcare facilities such as clinics and hospitals are not being taken seriously, resulting in serious injury and death. It is no secret that the amount of non-generalized or non-stereotyped research on Black/African Americans is little to non-existent. And so, we are able to infer that the publication of incomplete or inaccurate information about minority groups within the healthcare system is not beneficial to their value of life. To conclude, within the law and healthcare system certain ethnic groups experience disparagement and disenfranchisement which negatively impacts the value within their lives…especially when healthcare personnel are providing subpar care to minorities based on inaccurate or incomplete study results.

Inequality or unfair treatment within law enforcement and the healthcare system greatly results in injury and death for minorities, especially when law enforcement personnel and healthcare providers are acting upon false study results. In order to remedy the displacement and disenfranchisement of minorities within the community, critical race theory must be enforced and protected.

Works Cited

​​Baćak, Valerio. “Measuring Inequalities in Health from Survey Data Using Self-Assessed Social Class.” Https://Eds-p-Ebscohost-Com.Proxy-Ub.Researchport.Umd.Edu/, eds-p-ebscohost-com.proxy-ub.researchport.umd.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=11&sid=9ca8f188-3391-482c-893a-b05d772826dc%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3D#AN=128897354&db=edb. Accessed 8 May 2023.

Feldman, JM, et al. “Quantifying Underreporting of Law-Enforcement-Related Deaths in United States Vital Statistics and News-Media-Based Data Sources: A Capture-Recapture Analysis.” Https://Eds-p-Ebscohost-Com.Proxy-Ub.Researchport.Umd.Edu/, eds-p-ebscohost-com.proxy-ub.researchport.umd.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=8&sid=9ca8f188-3391-482c-893a-b05d772826dc%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=29016598&db=cmedm. Accessed 8 May 2023.

Lee, WC, et al. “Improving the Collection of Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data to Reduce Healthcare Disparities: A Case Study from an Academic Medical Center.” Ost-Com.Proxy-Ub.Researchport.Umd.Edu, eds-p-ebscohost-com.proxy-ub.researchport.umd.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=9&sid=9ca8f188-3391-482c-893a-b05d772826dc%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3D#AN=27843424&db=cmedm. Accessed 8 May 2023.

McGrier-Douglas, Sherricka A. “Convenient Sampling Survey of People within Vicinity.” 8 May 2023.