Topic: The role that police have in the criminal justice system.
Summary: This week we covered the role police in the criminal justice system specifically focusing on police discretion and the impact on marginalized groups. I found throughout this topic it built on my understanding of roles that police have in society, and how police deal with offenders, in particular minor cases before the court process. The works of Chapel and Wilson also broadened my knowledge as they where the studies that concluded that policing is a “vital component of governing a contemporary society” (Palmer, 2012). Our guest lecture Michelle Mullen also gave me a deeper incite not only into her career as a police officer but an insight further into the weeks topics:
• Pellian Principles
• Discretion
• Police Gatekeeping
• Police
…show more content…
An example of this was discussed in our tutorial for this week, which was police discretion. The major issue with this element of policing was if the same discretion applied for all groups of society such as ingenious people, young people and other marginalized groups such as the LGBT community. However there have been efforts on the police’s behalf to work with marginalized communities to show social inclusion with its overall aim to prevent crime. An example of this is attempt of inclusion was Christine Nixon, the former commissioner of Victoria police, marching in the in the Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade in St Kilda. However in the weeks reading by Angular Dwyer, it was found that despite the current efforts to build a relationship with the LGBT communities, such as Nixon’s march, there are still forms of regulation that are more historical based policing; Such as defining the LGBT community as “deviant and subject to intense surveillance”, due to that this group attract the attention of police because their ‘visibly antisocial behavior’ (Dwyer,
Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century (13th Edition ed.). Retrieved from
“Circumspect Police Ends the Drop in Crime?” This debate topic speaks about police being less proactive, because of vitriol, and causing an increase in crime rates. This debate topic is not directly related to the book, Ghettoside, but falls into the same bracket. The debate talks about the police becoming less involved because of denunciation, and rates of crimes increasing because of that. Ghettoside talks about the black-on-black homicide rates going up, one reason, because of the ignorance of the police.
Discretion is the power of officials to choose among multiple possible courses of action; whether or not to give someone a speeding ticket, or give them a warning. Discretion is vital to the police. It is impossible for the police to arrest ever individual who commits a crime; instead, the police rely on their ability to use discretion: handing out tickets, warnings, etc. Discretion is important, but there are situations in which the administration has to limit the officers use of discretion. East Valley’s police department will implement policies that will require officers to make an arrest in certain situations.
In This American Life’s series, Cops See it Differently: Act One, Ira Glass narrates particular circumstances outlining the existing tensions between the Milwaukee Police Department and the Black community. He began his first segment by telling Lisa Mahone’s story of an officer that displayed unwarranted aggressive tactics towards her and her family during a routine traffic stop. The story gained national attention, and opposing opinions to whether the officer’s actions or Lisa’s behavior were more justified. Lisa’s story begs the question: who holds the police accountable for mistreatment of the law and the citizens he or she serves?
During her Tedx Talk, she often talks about 21st Century Policing and how it should be standardized in general. In addition, she focuses especially on the first pillar: building trust and legitimacy. The commissioner see community policing not as an expression, but as a philosophy that must be woven into a police organization. She recognizes that there are two groups in society: the police and the citizens. To fix this, the police need to involve the community, not just deal with it.
Police work is unpredictable and is very dangerous. In some situations, officers may have to utilize use-of-force tactics in order to gain control of a certain situation. This essay will focus on the discussion of polices discretion to use force limited to a suspect who is being “uncooperative” and what mitigating factors may escalate or de-escalate force response by an officer. Written guidelines have the effect to limit the amount of discretion that an officer might use during stressful and dangerous situations in which they find themselves.
Working in a culturally diverse city, police officers are expected to interact with citizens in a professional manner which includes understanding various backgrounds, cultures, religions, and ethnicities. Misunderstanding an ethnic culture occurs when officers are not educated or aware of differing ethnic groups and cultural standards. If police officers are knowledgeable in various ethnic groups, they will not only avoid conflicts, criminal litigations against themselves, but also prevent violent riots and further distrust that ethnic groups already have with law enforcement
This article brought many points into light that many other articles were too sacred to bring up or simply did not want to bring up because the evidence went against their claim. This article talked about how racial profiling is often times misunderstood. To argue his point, he talks about how crime is never evenly distributed in cities and many times the places where there is the most crime is a part of town that lives in poverty. Often times this also means these parts of town are highly diverse. Policemen then, doing their job, watch these parts of town because of the high crime.
The officers failed to consider the broader context and potential ramifications of their actions. It could be argued that alternatives, such as engaging with the youths, building a rapport and educating them, as well as treating them with respect and fairness, rather than escalating the situation and disparaging the character of the youths, could allow officers to not only comply with policy and legislation, but also more effectively police their community by building positive relationships, channels of communication, and reduction of future crime (Chan, Bargen, Luke and Clancey 1997). However, these alternatives require the appropriate use of discretion which the officers failed to
Police officers are sworn in with the responsibility of serving and protecting the public. Members of the public expect their local police departments to keep their community safe, and protect them from danger and harm. Lately, police-citizen relationships have been strained as a result of problematic police behaviors and citizen encounters. Police use-of-force has become a pressing issue in modern society and has caused distrust and a lack of confidence in law enforcement agencies. Tragedies such as the deaths of Michael Brown, Erick Garner, and Sandra Bland has fueled the public’s outrage and suspicion of local police officers.
In 2000 The Criminal Justice and Courts Services Act was formed. The new legislation introduced the framework for Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) which led to the National Probation Service and the Police working in partnership. The HM Prison Service as well as the police and probation, became responsible for managing the risks of violent, dangerous and sexual offenders. The arrangements for reducing risks, involved sharing offender information and restrictions to reduce harm. Other agencies have a duty to co-operate with the ‘Responsible Authorities’, and be involved in the monitoring process, these include; social care, housing, health and education services.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, departments that serve less than 2,500 people are 84.4% white and departments that serve millions are 53.4% white (as cited in Fifield, 2016). Notably, Over the years, a lack of diversity within law enforcement has become a pertinent issue. Notably, the underrepresentation of minorities within law enforcement influences the relationship between communities and law enforcement by engendering distrust with law enforcement. To say nothing of, underrepresentation of minorities have had many people question whether departments mirror a diverse community. Nevertheless, with that being said, underrepresentation of minorities have generated tension and distrust between communities and law enforcement and many believe that police department need to mirror the race composition within their cities.
It also provides an example of how attitudes towards community policing in these types of areas differs from disadvantaged social and economic areas, which may assist in understanding how to bridge the gap in community policing as a whole. McNeeley, S., & Grothoff, G. (2016). A multilevel examination of the relationship between racial tension and attitudes toward the police. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 41(3), 383-401. doi:10.1007/s12103-015-9318-2
2. Literature Reviews 2.1 Perspectives on Community Policing This section provides a review of the relevant literature that underpins this study. As argued in the previous paragraph, the concept of community policing, its drivers and purposes can be considered as key unresolved issues in the literature. In this sense, two background questions have guided this literature review section – these being: i) what is community policing; and ii) what are the key drivers for the development and application of community policing?
‘’Most officers enter law enforcement with minimal experience in the field or in handling the moral dilemmas that officers typically encounter. They learn how to perform their jobs, as well as recognize the organizational norms, values, and culture, from their peers and supervisors. While supervisors provide direct, formal reinforcement, officers’ peers offer friendship and informal rewards that, in many cases, hold greater influence than official recognition from the agency’’ (Fitch, 2011). Officers who come across situations where they are unsure what is morally and ethically best to do often turn to their peers for assurance and guidance. Good ethical behavior can easily be influenced by officers and those in law enforcement.