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Perception and Misperception in Urban Criminal Justice Policy

The Case of Hate Crime

University of Kansas

Perceptions of an issue, problem, or policy might differ depending on the organizational context in which one is located. The importance of perception has been a concern for students of international relations, political institutions, organizational theory, and public policy, but less so for scholars of urban politics. This study contributes to the understanding of how organizational and community context influences perceptions by examining the perceptions of interest group leaders and police related to law enforcement activity on hate crime with survey data from each group in a sample of the 250 largest American cities. The author presents a basic theoretical framework for understanding how perceptions may differ depending on organizational and community context. He then tests for differences in perceptions using both simple and more advanced statistical methods, controlling for community context. The results suggest organizational and community context influence perceptions of law enforcement activity. The implications of the findings for urban politics and democratic political systems more generally are discussed.

Key Words: hate crime • perception • organizational context • law enforcement • public policy • interest groups

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