Which term describes unequal treatment of individuals based on group membership rather than individual merit?

• A. Discrimination
• B. Double Marginality
• C. Bias-Based Policing
• D. Brady Cops

Answer: (A)

Discrimination describes unequal treatment of individuals based on group membership rather than individual merit. This means decisions about someone—whether in policing, employment, or daily life—are made because they belong to a certain group (such as race, gender, religion) rather than evaluating their own actions, qualifications, or behavior. In policing, discrimination can show up as practices or outcomes that unfairly disadvantage members of particular groups simply due to their identity, not their conduct.

Bias-based policing is a specific, context-focused form of discrimination where enforcement decisions are influenced by prejudices toward certain groups. Double marginality refers to the compounded disadvantage from intersecting minority identities, not the general act of treating people differently. Brady cops pertains to credibility concerns in testimony, not to group-based treatment. The broad term that best captures the scenario described is discrimination.