The Dangerous Intersection between Race, Class and Stand Your Ground

The Stand Your Ground (SYG) law has and will likely continue to generate a wealth of controversy and political debate. It derives its historical significance from the Castle doctrine that allows citizens to protect themselves. The aftermath of SYG has led to an increase in justifiable homicides of minority victims. A preliminary analysis of data from FBI Uniform Crime Reports suggests that the race of the victim is the foremost determinant in the outcome of SYG cases where the perpetrator is non-minority. This research will further explore the Castle doctrine and examine SYG laws in Florida where racial tension is a challenge to determine if there has been an increase in the death of persons of color, especially Black male youths since the law’s enactment. Finally, it will use policy analysis methodology to identify the problem, underlying assumptions, implementation structure, rationales, and to forecast the policy implications of the law