Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Recent years have brought increased awareness to the discriminatory treatment of Black and Latino individuals by the police, but a gap in the literature remains at the intersection of the study of criminalization and psychology. The proposed study will attempt to bridge this gap by investigating the extent to which the overcriminalization of Black and Latino high schoolers contributes to the internalization of racialized stereotypes and the development of depressive symptoms. The research will implement a correlational approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data from a sample of Black and Latino high schoolers ages 14 to 18. Participants will complete a measure of depressive symptoms, followed by a trait rating measure of internalization of stereotypes. The final component will be a measure of criminalization, followed by an interview about police interaction to acquire qualitative data about experiences of criminalization. Results are predicted to show higher levels of depressive symptoms for participants with higher scores on the measure of criminalization. Additionally, it is anticipated that more internalization of stereotypes will mediate the relationship between criminalization and depressive symptoms so that participants who have experienced more criminalization will show more internalization, and thus higher depressive symptoms. This research has the potential to add psychological depth to the legal studies around policing and bring awareness about the impact of criminalization on Black and Latino youth.

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