James E. Wright II

Associate Professor, School of Public Affairs & School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University-Tempe

Chapter Member: Arizona SSN

Areas of Expertise:

Connect with James

@JamesEWrightII

About James

Wright's dissertation research sought to understand how the introduction of Body Worn Camera (BWC) technology in the United States impacts citizen outcomes as well as policing outcomes. This research was funded by American University Graduate Student Fellowship. It was presented to the legislative branch; the D.C. City Council. His research spans a variety of topics that include the criminal justice system; education; and homelessness in the United States.

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | Member Spotlight | In the News | Publications

Contributions

Why Police Body Cameras are Just a First Step

Key Findings Brief, May 2018

Publications

"The Power of Protest on Policing: Black Lives Matter Protest and Civilian Evaluation of the Police" (with James E. Wright II, Dongfang Gaozhao, and Kenneth Dukes). Public Administration Review 83, no. 1 (2023): 130–143.

Examines how Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests influence Americans' perceptions of the police. Finds that (1) Black American participants have a lower evaluation of police performance, but a higher evaluation of the BLM Movement than White American participants; (2) the presence of a general protest negatively impacts peoples' perception of safety, police trustworthiness, and police performance; and (3) a BLM protest casts a stronger effect on White American participants than on Black American participants.

"Representation through Lived Experience: Expanding Representative Bureaucracy Theory" (with Cullen Merritt, Morgan D. Farnworth, Sheila Suess Kennedy, Gordon Abner, and Breanca Merritt). Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance 44, no. 5 (2020): 434-451.

Draws on the insights of managers in the behavioral health treatment system to explore the value of persons who bring lived experience to their organizational positions.

"Social Equity and COVID-19: The Case of African Americans" (with Cullen Merritt). Public Administration Review 80, no. 5 (2020): 820-826.

Shares early and preliminary lessons and strategies on how public administration scholars and practitioners can lead in crafting equitable responses to this global pandemic to uplift the African American community.

"'The Trayvon Martin Effect': Estimating the Effect of the Trayvon Martin Shooting on Reading Performance Scores Using the Synthetic Control Method" Cogent Social Sciences 2, no. 1 (2016).

Examines how the shooting and killing of Trayvon Martin resulted in decreased performance of students in Florida schools.

"A Test of Representative Bureaucracy Theory: Race and Police Use of Force" (with Andrea Headley), 2018.

Examines how the race of police officers as well as the race of citizens influences officer use of force.