Impact of Multiple Minority Statuses: An Examination of Violent Victimization, Police Reporting and Perception of Police Bias

Abstract

Individuals who identify as belonging to multiple marginalized groups experience disproportionate violent victimization yet are reluctant to inform the police following an incident. Perceptions of the police as biased may influence whether victims report. This study examines low socio-economic and sexual orientation/gender-identity (SOGI) minority statuses on experiencing violent victimization, reporting to the police and perceived police bias as a reason for not reporting. Multivariate logistic regressions were applied to National Crime Victimization Survey data. Low-income, SOGI respondents reported greater odds of experiencing violent victimization but lower odds of reporting to the police. An increase in the odds of perceiving the police as biased was found among victims who did not report. Results suggest greater work to improve the strained relationships between the police and minority communities.