Social work education and the recognition of rights in the digital tech age: implications for professional identity

The use of digital technology by law enforcement apparatuses raises important social justice implications for existing race- and economic-based disparities in the U.S. criminal justice system. The purpose of the present survey research study is to describe and ascertain statistically significant differences and non-differences between, and predictors of, U.S. social work students regarding their attitudes toward, and intersectional knowledge of, law enforcement, privacy rights, and digital technology. With Human Subjects approval, in Fall 2019, the authors administered a 66-item survey across 150 institutions of higher education in the United States with both a Council on Social Work Education-accredited undergraduate and graduate social work program, including collaboratives, using a stratified, random sampling method (N = 430). Results include that students who do not challenge bigotry on social media are approximately two times more likely to: Endorse law enforcement's use of technology to assist in the apprehension of persons who merely stand accused of committing a crime; and, lack awareness that facial recognition programs result in false positives for people of color (who are overrepresented in the U.S. criminal justice system). Based on these findings, the authors discuss implications for social work education, making recommendations accordingly.