Live Poster Session: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/99807695842
Anya Biggs
Anya Biggs is a Freshman at Wesleyan University, majoring in the College of Social Studies (CSS). She is interested in inequality and the role of social institutions – particularly judicial and correctional institutions – in shaping social outcomes.
Abstract: This study examines whether the likelihood of a vehicle search during a traffic stop varies by driver race in Connecticut. Using data from the Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Project (N = 313,351), the analysis focuses on whether search decisions are applied consistently across racial groups. Driver race is categorized as White, Black, Asian, or American Indian, and the outcome of interest is whether a vehicle search was conducted during the stop. Prior research has documented racial disparities in traffic enforcement at the national level, but fewer studies have examined these patterns within individual states. This analysis contributes to that literature by focusing specifically on Connecticut. The results assess whether Black drivers have higher search rates than White drivers and whether these differences persist across contexts. Identifying disparities in search outcomes may have implications for policy, oversight, and public trust in law enforcement.
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