Deck 18: Annabelle Lever and Allan Hillman, “Racial Profiling”

Question 1

Summarize Annabelle Lever's understanding of how racial profiling affects police officers' prejudices. Do a little research on the formation of prejudices. Explain what you found. Then consider: does this research support or fail to support Lever's claims?

Answer 1

Explain Lever's understanding of the relationship between police officers' prejudices and the act of racial profiling
Detail research on prejudice formation
Explain whether this research supports or undermines Lever's claims

Question 2

In his essay, Allan Hillman compares the act of racial profiling to the types of considerations that other medical professionals make: "Like the physician, the police officer is simply taking into consideration the prior probabilities of group behavior in order to better do her job." In your essay, evaluate the aptness of this parallel. In other words, does Hillman's move work? Can you think of a morally relevant factor that distinguishes the doctor's case from the police officer's? Defend your answer.

Answer 2

Explain and evaluate Hillman's parallel between police engaged in racial profiling and doctors taking race into consideration in their medical practices
Consider whether there is a morally relevant factor that distinguishes these two cases, and thus serves to undermine Hillman's comparison
Argue in defense of either the existence or nonexistence of a morally relevant distinguishing factor

Question 3

In her reply, Annabelle Lever discusses the relationship between certain policies and increased crime rates. She says that
…policies that may appear on their face to have nothing to do with the racial characteristics of crime - such as urban renewal or government support for home ownership - turn out to explain why some social groups, rather than others, face crime and violence as an everyday part of their lives, and may find themselves tempted to engage in it as a rational strategy for improving their lot in life, or drawn into it through friendship, loneliness, anger, depression, despair.
In your essay, explain what Lever means here. Why might someone think that all this is irrelevant to the ethics of criminal profiling? What argument could they give to this effect? And how might Lever respond?

Answer 3

Explain Lever's claim that social policies, which may seem unrelated to crime rates, are actually powerful and relevant factors in understanding those crime rates
Offer an original argument that presents a challenge to the claim that Lever develops
Explain how Lever might respond to this objection

Question 4

In her essay, Lever discusses three objections to racial profiling. Which of the following is NOT one of those objections?

A) Racial profiling harms the police officers who practice it
B) Racial profiling is unlikely to be effective
C) Racial profiling punishes people for things outside of their control
D) Racial profiling is likely to exacerbate racial injustices

Question 5

In her essay, Lever argues that who will be the main beneficiaries of the racial profiling of black people?

A) White people
B) Young black men
C) Criminals
D) The police

Question 6

In her essay, Lever offers two examples of crime preventing tactics that serve as viable alternatives to racial profiling. What are they?

A) Neighborhood watches and "see something, say something" campaigns
B) "Stop and search" and "stop and frisk"
C) Traffic stops and road blocks
D) Random searches and universal searches

Question 7

In his essay, Hillman identifies the controversial type of profiling. What is it?

A) Instrumental profiling
B) Retroactive profiling
C) Comprehensive profiling
D) Predictive profiling

Question 8

In his essay, Hillman explains that institutional entities may use the type of rationality that an agent uses who wishes to achieve the most efficient or cost-effective means in order to achieve some end. What is this type of rationality called?

A) Deontological rationality
B) Instrumental rationality
C) Efficient rationality
D) Incremental rationality

Question 9

In his essay, Hillman affirms that if racial profiling can be reasonably suggested to result in harms, those harms will be in some way _____ in nature?

A) Physical
B) Material
C) Psychological
D) Dignitary

Question 10

In her reply, Lever argues that once one recognizes the extent of _____ in our societies, it seems clear that combining racial profiling with affirmative action is wholly inadequate?

A) Class division
B) Unchecked privilege
C) Racial injustice
D) Criminal activity

Question 11

In his reply, Hillman affirms that one of Lever's objections assumes what without argument?

A) That police officers can't make reasonable decisions
B) That white people are worse criminals than black people
C) That all persons have a shared interest in life, liberty, and property
D) That police officers are prejudicial in an offensive sense

Question 12

Identify the author who states the following in their reply: "the police, like racialised minorities, have collective as well as individual interests in protection from arbitrary and prejudiced judgements about their sentiments, beliefs and behaviour."

A) Annabelle Lever
B) Allan Hillman

Question 13

Through Lever's essay and Hillman's reply, it becomes clear that the authors agree that "racial profiling is little more than a self-fulfilling prophecy."