Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
12-2021
School/College
Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs (SOPA)
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Administration of Justice
Committee Chairperson
Ashraf Mozayani
Committee Member 1
David Baker
Committee Member 2
Robert Mupier
Committee Member 3
Glenn Johnson
Keywords
Arrest Disparities, Campus Crime, Campus Police, Marijuana
Abstract
This study examined on-campus drug arrests made in 2018 and 2019 at 20 non-minority serving and minority serving institutions located in Texas. The on-campus drug arrest data included a total of 1693 possession of marijuana arrests. The purpose of the study was to determine if racial arrest disparities existed among Blacks and Whites arrested for possession of marijuana on college campuses in Texas. Furthermore, the study employed the racial threat theory to determine if the racial composition of the neighborhood a college is located in influenced the percentage of Black arrests for possession of marijuana. Results revealed that Blacks were more likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana at non-minority serving institutions than at minority serving institutions. Interestingly, Blacks were more likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana at a majority of the colleges included in the study. Subsequent examination of this result revealed that Blacks were 2 to 30 times more likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana at college campuses in Texas. Conclusively, the study found support for the racial threat theory. Findings indicated that as the percentage of Black residents increased so did Black arrest percentages for possession of marijuana. Implications of the findings and limitations of the study are discussed.
Copyright
Copyright © for this work is retained by the author. Any documents and information presented are protected by copyright under US Copyright laws and are the property of the author. All Rights Reserved. For permission to use this content please contact the author or the Graduate School at Texas Southern University (graduate.school@tsu.edu).
Recommended Citation
Spence, Andre, "Examining Arrests for Possession of Marijuana Among Students Attending Minority Serving Institutions and Non-Minority Serving Institutions" (2021). Dissertations (2016-Present). 21.
https://digitalscholarship.tsu.edu/dissertations/21