Please note: This is an abstract. The study is ongoing and the study will be finalized in May of 2025. Any feedback is appreciated.

“Perceptions of Police Use of Force on Suspects Impacted by a Mental Illness” 

This study investigates how a suspect’s mental illness status impacts perceptions of police use of force and suspect resistance. There is critical concern for individuals with severe mental illnesses being overrepresented in fatal law enforcement encounters with excessive force frequently being used. In fact, “people with mental illnesses are over 10 times as likely to experience use of force in interactions with law enforcement than those without mental illness” (National Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d., para 2). Prior research shows that suspect characteristics such as race (U.S. Department of Justice, 1999) and gender (Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, n.d.) affect whether people perceive police use of force as excessive. Additionally, research suggests that the attitudes of jurors (e.g., authoritarianism) also impact on how police behavior is perceived (Cato Institute, 2016). The current study proposes to investigate whether suspect mental illness impacts mock juror’s perceptions of suspect resistance and police use of force, and whether these effects are moderated by mock jurors’ moral beliefs. Using a 2×2 between subjects design, this study examines perceptions of police and suspect behavior across four vignettes: suspect mental illness status (no mental illness vs mental illness) and the standard used (reasonable officer vs. reasonable person). Participants will examine vignettes and complete measures such as perceptions of police use of force, moral foundations (MFQ-30) and demographic characteristics. The findings of the study aim to better understand the complex relationship between moral beliefs and societal attitudes toward police use of force and a suspect with a mental illness.