Student Attitudes and Motivations toward Viewing Videos of Police Fatal Encounters in a Classroom Setting

Research has linked viewing videos of police fatal encounters to negative mental health outcomes but has left open two questions: To what degree are college students willing to personally view video footage of a fatal police-citizen encounters in a classroom setting? and What are the rationales that students have for watching or declining to watch fatal police-citizen encounters? Data from 221 undergraduates revealed the vast majority of respondents approved watching such footage in the classroom. Binary logistic regression models suggest being a criminal justice major increased the likelihood that a student would feel comfortable watching the videos, whereas being a junior/senior decreased the likelihood. Qualitative analysis indicated those in favor of watching the footage felt they could better assess the situation and felt there was educational value. Students who preferred to not watch the video in class expressed that it could be traumatizing for their classmates or themselves.