Exam Policing Issues

Exam: Policing Issues

Name

Institution

Date

Police Brutality

We live in a world where we thrive on law and order and part of the order is often maintained by law enforcers including the police. In a world where there is no law and order then anarchy would really thrive which may pose to be an unfavorable environment to live in. It is for such reasons that often law enforcers play a huge role in a country and they have been granted the power to do so. However, more often than not some officers often misuse their power by brutalizing the innocent. Police brutality is an issue that is often brought up in almost every country including the United States. In the United States there have been cases of police brutality where police officers have harassed citizens or caused harm even to a suspect something not allowed and is a chargeable offence in a court of law. Extensive research has been conducted on effect police brutality has on African Americans including fatal injuries inflicted, adverse psychological effect, racist public reaction, high incarceration rates and arrests and integrated oppressive structure.

Fatal injuries may be the most felt effect when it comes to effect of police brutality. This includes injury that may arise from arrest including gunshots, wounds from cuffs, beatings that results in broken limbs and broken ribs. A good example is Dondi Johnson who was arrested in Baltimore and suffered injuries from police including broken limbs that he later succumbed from these injuries (Alang, 2017). Cases of African Americans that have succumbed from gunshots are quite too high as a result of brutality. The second reason is Psychological stress as most African Americans are often stressed if they may be the next victims. There have been those that have actually seen or rather experienced the pangs of police brutality such as children bearing witness to their parents being arrested or being beaten up. Most of these memories are long lasting and may have permanent effects.

As the public, racist relations have also been a contributor to stress. An example is an individual trying to stand up against injustice may get too much scrutiny from the general public. People who are outsiders, may judge African Americans without really them getting to understand what is that they go through. Most have to leave with this fact that not everyone will understand and try to lead just a normal life. At times we advocate for certain laws such as the police stop and search citing that such policies help in ensuring there is law and order and although this may be true, it is these same laws that targets the African Americans being profiled by law enforcers (Alang, 2017). There have been cases of police officers killing innocent people then defending themselves with the line that they thought the victim was armed. There have dozens of cases of unarmed young men who have been stopped and later shot by police officers in cold blood (Swaine, 2015). These policies have resulted in the arrest of a majority of African Americans. At times they are charged punitively and harshly for mistakes that whites receive just a slap on the wrist. The criminal justice system has been found to be racist as band bails are set high for the African Americans when compared to the whites. This is another factor that contributes to high number of blacks in jails.

Economic and financial constraints that are put on African American communities is too much. At times the medical bills that they have to pay is at times too high and for most they come from already poor backgrounds thus raising money to treat their family member who has suffered from the police beatings (Alang, 2017). This is money that had not been planned for and their already limited resources have to be channeled into something else. The burial expenses also stretch out the financial muscle of the African American community. Getting to prepare for a burial requires money and it may be really hard for the family especially knowing that this form of death could have been prevented.

Black community disempowerment is also another effect of police brutality. Most places where African Americans live are poor neighborhoods that lack resources. Even years later after Jim Crows law were abolished effect can still b felt by looking at the places where most African Americans live which are quite poor neighborhoods. Police brutality robs of the African American community able bodied men some of whom are bread winners to their family. Disempowerment also comes from the way most cases are often treated without much concern. Most of the cases are often ruled in the favor of the law enforcers and the form of punishment that they get is a transfer or desk duty for a while and then being handed in their badge again. This is an informal rule used by the police officers that no officer should report their fellow colleague’s error, crime or misconduct no matter what. Blue wall of silence is used in the force to indicate that any police officer needs to have their fellow officer’s back no matter what and cases that go unreported including cases on police brutality. Such instances discourage African American from getting justice because they know nothing much can be done.

Police brutality has an impact directly on those affected and indirectly to the community or family of those affected. Those left behind have to try and move on which at times involve ignoring comments that may be made that appear racist. Example is when people assume most African Americans are criminals thus the high number of arrests and incarceration. These comments get to affect most African Americans but some ignore it. The injuries and death as a result of police brutality contribute to psychological stress as well as economic burden to African Americans. In order to address police brutality, we need to be ready to have a talk on racial inequality among minorities.

Police Protests

One of the greatest contributors of police brutality is the perception law enforcers have towards most African Americans and at times these perceptions are misleading. Most law enforcers view the African Americans especially the male as violent and more likely to commit crimes. This is why during a stop and search policy, a black is more likely to be stopped and force used on them. Law enforcers will often perceive a black man as a threat and think they are armed. There have been so many numerous cases where unarmed man tried reaching out for something in his pocket and the law enforcer misinterprets this as him reaching out for a gun thus putting him down and later using it as a defense (Earl, 2006). Police exerting force during a protest has often is seen to be different and much more force may be used in a protest organized by African Americans.

Media can a play a role in desensitizing the public on police killing through the stereotypes often portrayed. When media reports on crimes conducted a black, most often they will use a mug shot or a picture portraying the image that a person may be an offender on the other hand one may find that in most cases when a white commits a crime a picture of them smiling or even with the family is used. It is through media reporting that certain stereotypes have been created such as how most African Americans are hot tempered or how most are violent and are more likely to commit crimes. The media need to be unbiased when reporting incidences of protest especially one involving the minority groups. Humans are more naturally likely to give more attention to negative news when compared to positive news this may lead the media to sensationalize news especially on police brutality for example the Michael Brown’s case. This journalistic approach may result in diminishing of empathy as well as emotional response that the public may have when viewing the news based on the fact that thy may or may not relate (Leopold, 2017). A case like the Brow’s case may not be relatable to whites as compared to African Americans this is why there were protest by movements including Black Lives mater. These movements were discussed by some news outlets some referring to the group as a violent group that wanted to challenge the law enforcers. Such reporting deviates people’s attention into believing that the movement and their protest may not be valid as they are using violence.

Police will respond to various protest with different force depending on a couple of factors. Law enforcers protect economic as well as political interest of certain elites. Depending on the issue being protested against the force may be minimal or brutal. Issues such as police brutality are sensitive issues these is because a country like America has gone through years of changes in a bid to achieve racial equality (Reynolds-Stenson, 2018). Issues such as police brutality that still persist points out how issues of racial inequality are far from over. Police presence in protests on police brutality has been found to be high as compared to the presence of other protest. The police seem to be more repressive when their reputation is actually challenged. When police officers use force on unarmed African Americans at times to drive their narrative on brutality but this is countered by the argument that violence was used by the protesters and they were thus retaliating as their role is to ensure there is law and order. In order to ensure law enforcers are able to manage protests in a far much better way, negotiated management is applied. Negotiated management is whereby the law enforcers are trained ways that they can be able to deal with protests without the use of force.

Theoretically, police should be able to handle protest by African Americans the same way that they get to handle protests by whites. However, in real life scenario this does not seem to work as African Americans are treated with much more force. During a police brutality protest, they often feel the need to defend their legitimacy. They are likely to quell these protest by dispersing protesters so that the protest does not garner as much attention as it should. When their job is threatened and tarnished there is a tension between the protestors and the police officers and they often feel the need to use force to stop the protest (Reynolds-Stenson, 2018). Through negotiated management police officers should have a certain amount of tolerance when it comes to protesters but the force often used against African Americans shows that this may not be applicable in a docket that seem racial inequality and treatment of African Americans is still different.

On the job trouble refers to the problematic encounters that law enforcers may encounter while carrying out their job. If protest occur, police are tasked with ensuring there is law and order and that protesters carry out the protest peacefully without causing harm or vandalism to others. In the job trouble refers to dealing with police as well as the legal bureaucracies where one has to explain their actions on the job. This may include an inquiry of police conduct after a protest. Police may create ‘in the job’ trouble for themselves when they become repressive as they try to maintain law and order avoiding “on the job” trouble (Reynolds-Stenson, 2018). In cases where police officers may avoid to use more of hands-off approach especially in a protest that has violent tendencies, then there is likelihood of lawlessness.

Although police may often feel that through use of force to deal with protesters especially those on police brutality may be a way to resolve a tarnished name, this may not be the case. Use of force and police presence in cases of protest helps in garnering the attention of the media on the issues around police brutality and the partiality that exists when it comes to quelling of police protests. This attention is what forms basis for creation of movements such as Black Lives Matter a group that helps in dealing and advocating against police brutality by use of means that are much more peaceful and does not allow confrontation with police. Social media and improvement of technology has also helped in dealing with police brutality as now evidence can be captured where police are using force thus promoting transparency and accountability.

Prison Gangs

Prison facilities are meant to help correct the behaviors and actions of persons convicted of a crime. However, the emergence of prison gangs often disrupts the ability of correction facilities to enact their mandate. There is a need to increase research on the issue of prison gang research and adopt measures such as the implementation of restorative justice reforms.

A prison refers to a group of organized individuals who are found within the prison system (Fleisher, & Decker, 2001). The individuals are made of selected persons who operate within a specified chain of command, which follows a specific code of conduct that underlines how they conduct criminal activities within the prison system. The prison gangs often run secret operations that rely on terror, intimidation, and the use of violence, which targets nonmembers.

The first prison gang that existed in the United States started in the 1950s. The prison gang was referred to as Gypsy Jokers. The Gypsy Jokers ran its criminal activities in Washington State Prisons. After the Gypsy Jokers, other prison gangs began to emerge. One of the major prison gangs is the Mexican Mafia. The Mexican Mafia first existed in the 150s and was located in Duel Vocational Center in Tracy. It was also the first prison gang that existed in California. A majority of the members of the gang were comprised of individuals from the Mexican American community. La Nuestra Family, was another major prison gang. The prison gang was formed in the 1960s and was located in Soledad prison in California. The La Nuestra family was initially comprised of Hispanic prisoners who aspired to protect themselves from Mexican Mafia. The La Nuestra Family is guided by a code of conduct that outlines a leadership structure which is headed by a board of directors known as La Mesa.

The black Guerilla Family is another renowned prison gang. The gang was formed in 1966 and was located in San Quentin. The prison gang came about as a result of the coming together of different gangs, which included the Weatherman Underground Organization, the Black Liberation Army and the Symbionese Liberation Army. The Black Guerilla Family was associated with a politically charged revolution, which was inspired by the Marxist-Leninist Philosophy. The prison gang caused havoc in the prison system and, to an extent, scared the public as well as the prison management.

Another major prison gang was the Aryan Brotherhood. The prison gang first began in 1967 and ran its activities in San Quentin Prison, located in California. The prison gang was mainly comprised of a white supremacist whose main intention was to evoke racial threats to prisoners belonging to the Hispanic or black community. The Aryan Brotherhood was also created to counter the activities of other prison gangs affiliated with the Black or Hispanic prisoners.

The other major prison gang is the Texas Syndicate. The Texas Syndicate started in 1958 and was located in Duel Vocational Training Institute, which is located in California. The prison gang also appeared in various prisons, such as San Quentin in 1976 and Folsom Prison in the 1970s. The members of the prison gang hail from Texan Mexican people and also Guemese and Latin Americans.

There are several reasons why there is limited research on the issue on prison gangs. One of the reasons behind limited research in prison gangs is due to the lack of strong official documentation of prison gangs which is limited to departmental use. The second reason which explains the lack of sufficient research in the topic is due to the restrictions imposed by prison management which restricts researchers in accessing prison facilities. Lastly, insufficient prison research stems from the fact that prison gang members often take an oath which makes them secretive and often unwilling to provide information to researchers.

Restorative justice reform refers to a conflict management approach which relies on the use of peace and dialogue between two or more conflicting parties, victims as well as the community involved in the conflict. The approach seeks to discuss issues faced by all parties and brings about repayment of the damage, which is caused by the prevalence of injustice. Restorative reform justice is vital as it helps offenders to be reintegrated into society as part of the individuals who respect the rule of law. Restoration justice understands that crime requires public condemnation as well as the healing of individuals and relationships which suffer from its effects.

Restorative justice reforms are an essential tool that can be utilized in the reduction of prison gang violence. Research indicates that most of the prisoners who are imprisoned due to violent crimes are often victims of violence (Beckett, & Kartman, 2016). Therefore, there is a need to address the issue of violence at the ground level by the use of restorative justice reforms. The approach can be used to help victims of violence to heal their pain and overcome the need to enact revenge. Addressing their pain and encouraging forgiveness can significantly reduce violence caused by prison gangs. The key to tackling violence in prisons is addressing the individual challenges facing prisoners and helping them to overcome the challenges.

 Prison gangs are on the main problems that face correction facilities. It is crucial to address the issue of prison gangs to help create peace within the correction facilities and society. Prior research in prison gangs, the implementation of restorative justice reforms will help in tackling the issue of prison gangs and violence in prisons.

References

Alang, S., McAlpine, D., McCreedy, E., & Hardeman, R. (2017). Police brutality and black health: setting the agenda for public health scholars. American journal of public health, 107(5), 662-665.

Beckett, K., & Kartman, M. (2016). Violence, Mass Incarceration, and Restorative Justice: Promising Possibilities. University of Washington Center for Human Rights. Online: https://jsis. washington. edu/humanrights/projects/rethinking-punishment.

Earl, J., & Soule, S. (2006). Seeing blue: A police-centered explanation of protest policing. Mobilization: An International Quarterly, 11(2), 145-164.

Fleisher, M. S., & Decker, S. H. (2001). An overview of the challenge of prison gangs. Corrections Management Quarterly, 5, 1-9.Leopold, J., & Bell, M. P. (2017). News media and the racialization of protest: An analysis of Black Lives Matter articles. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.

Reynolds-Stenson, H. (2018). Protesting the police: anti-police brutality claims as a predictor of police repression of protest. Social movement studies, 17(1), 48-63.

Swaine, J., Laughland, O., Lartey, J., & McCarthy, C. (2015, December 31). Young black men killed by US police at highest rate in year of 1,134 deaths. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/31/the-counted-police-killings-2015-young-black-men