Negotiating the “Bad Guy”: Defensive Simplification and Moral Ambiguity in Police Work
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency
Published online on July 16, 2026
Abstract
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Ahead of Print.
The phrase “bad guys” is deeply embedded in American culture, reflecting familiar moral binaries of heroes and villains. Drawing on interviews with 35 police officers, this article examines how officers invoke, negotiate, and at times unsettle this ...
The phrase “bad guys” is deeply embedded in American culture, reflecting familiar moral binaries of heroes and villains. Drawing on interviews with 35 police officers, this article examines how officers invoke, negotiate, and at times unsettle this ...