Date of Conferral

9-9-2026

Date of Award

September 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Lois Woods

Abstract

Racial disparities in police encounters persist in Illinois, where Black adults are disproportionately subjected to investigatory stops despite ongoing oversight efforts. This study examined how citizens affected by these stops experienced and interpreted these encounters. The participants were seven Black adults from Lake County, Illinois. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed racial profiling and discrimination as central, structuring features of police interactions. Participants described being stopped without clear justification, subjected to heightened suspicion, and treated as presumptively criminal. These encounters were understood not as isolated incidents but as patterned practices, producing mistrust, anxiety, and diminished perceptions of police legitimacy. Guided by William Chambliss's conflict theory, the findings suggest that investigatory stops function as routine mechanisms of social control that reproduce existing power hierarchies. By examining lived experiences, this study demonstrates how systemic racial inequalities are enacted and sustained through everyday police-citizen interactions. Ultimately, this study contributes to ongoing scholarly and policy discussions by examining the perspectives of Black adults. By amplifying these voices, this research seeks to foster positive social change, inform more equitable policy development, strengthen accountability measures, and deepen understanding of how systemic inequities manifest in everyday interactions between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

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