When good trouble sparks agenda change: Disentangling the evolution of the Congressional Black Caucus' positions on police reform

Abstract

AbstractThe Black Caucus’ position on crime and community policing has been a constant juxtaposition between advocating for the health and safety of Black communities while decrying the ever‐toxic relationship with the American policing and carceral systems. This is evident in the organization's overwhelming support for the infamous 1994 Crime Bill—a largely punitive bill that has since been directly linked to the over‐policing and incarceration of Black Americans. Recently, however, the organization has adopted a policy stance that reflects a commitment to reforming the American policing system. This article traces the organization's evolution from support for prevention‐based, punitive policies to comprehensive police reform in the period since the passage of the 1994 Crime Bill. We find this transformation has been one that is both responsive to exogenous shocks—high profile killings of unarmed Black Americans and the resulting protests—as well as an endogenous change—organizational turnover and ideological drift within the organization. These factors create active and latent processes that worked on the Congressional Black Caucus’ behaviors and preferences.