Literature review
Police brutality has a history of being recurrent in many parts of the world but it is sad and ironic that United States may be one of its severe examples. Its causes, consequences and policy implications have been elaborated in this section. Various scholars have done the same.
Police brutality
Police brutality is the abuse of authority and infliction of uncalled for force upon civilians, practiced by the police. It is intentional and meant to hurt the civilians. In the United States, police brutality is becoming increasingly common. It is often confused with police discretion, which is the ability of police to exercise control in light of the law over citizens who are not abiding it. Police brutality is a severe issue whose many experts of law and criminology have studied implications and causes.
Police brutality in the United States
There is a long history of police brutality in the United States. There have been many protests and demonstrations from the civilians. Complaints have been filed to the authorities to look in to police departments but to not much avail. The book by Jill Nelson called Police Brutality: An Anthology records different events in America from the 1980s and 1990s. Jill mentions how 2,234 complaints were filed against police brutality at the hands of New York Police Department NYPD in 1999 alone. A federal investigation was in order (Nelson, 2001). This is one example out of many others that have been recorded and many that haven’t been.
Communities being affected
Police brutality is especially prominent for the black community in America. Jill Nelson talks about how the image “Black male predator” is so commonly accepted that police brutality and violence against black men is seen as a normal thing in the American society (Nelson, 2001). Katie Nodjimbadem in her article mentions how just in 2016 233 African-Americans were shot and killed by the police (Nodjimbadem, 2017). She has also recorded how they are the 24 percent of American population that are fatally shot dead by the police. Scholars Alang, McAlpine, McCreedy and Hardeman talk about the predominant white supremacy that plays a significant role in racial discrimination when it comes to treatment from the police. While whites often receive protection from the police even at times when they are in the wrong, blacks face a lot severer police brutality. This racial discrimination is present throughout the US law enforcement system (Alang, McAlpine, McCreedy, Hardeman, 2017).These scholars also discuss the negative impact on public health which is brought on by police brutality. Mortality rate increases for the black community, psychological and mental health issues increase in the younger generation especially, stress and anxiety increase with financial, legal and medical issues (Alang, McAlpine, McCreedy, Hardeman, 2017).
Causes of Police Brutality
There are many factors that encourage police brutality in the United States. These factors have been studied by many experts and scholars. Misconduct is very common in police discretion in America. Hagan, John, and Ruth D. Peterson in their book called “Criminal Justice Theory: Explaining the Nature and Behaviour of Criminal Justice” have tried to categorize the behaviour of police in different scientific concepts that are social, political and psychological, organisational and others (Hagan, John, Ruth D. Peterson, 1995). All of these play an important role in the existence of police brutality. Newman and Obasogie in their research paper also talk about police brutality, its causes and how it’s a deterrent of public health. According to the authors, force polices practiced by the police make them the choose the wrong course of action when dealing with possible offenders of law. these policies favour violence over safety of life which is why the polices need to be revised (Newman, Obasogie, 2017). Other reasons may include: Superior police officers expect the inferior ones to follow them and also to maintain a sort of unity amongst each other so that no scandals go out there. The concept of power is also quite blinding for many police officers who feel invincible in front of innocent civilians and exercise force that was completely unnecessary. In the America of today, police officers don’t have cameras or audio recorders in the cars. So the police department can’t keep an eye on them, and they proceed with unjust police brutality.
Policy Implications
It is imperial that measures are taken to stop police brutality in America. However, this is a very difficult task to achieve especially in a short time. There needs to be investigation in police departments to observe how the people are being treated. Federal policies regarding police should be revised and more strictly implemented. However, it is also very important that the societal mindset also change regarding the black community. According to Victor, Richard and Geoffrey in their paper mention that police brutality is never going to end if the racial mindset isn’t abolished (Victor, Richard, Geoffrey, 1998). They also believe that the police should be given proper training on how to behave with civilians. They should know where to draw the line (Victor, Richard, Geoffrey, 1998).
One could say that there needs to be policing of the police in the United States in order to reduce instances of brutality and to follow proper course of action regarding police discretion.
References
Obasogie, O. K., & Newman, Z. (2017). Police violence, use of force policies, and public health. American journal of law & medicine, 43(2-3), 279-295.
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.
Hutto, J. W., & Green, R. D. (2016). Social movements against racist police brutality and Department of Justice Intervention in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Journal of Urban Health, 93(1), 89-121.
Geller, W. A., &Toch, H. (Eds.). (1959). Police violence: Understanding and controlling police abuse of force. Yale University Press.
Skolnick, J. H., & Fyfe, J. J. (1993). Above the Law: Police and the excessive use of force (pp. 198-205). New York: Free Press.
Kappeler, V. E., Sluder, R. D., & Alpert, G. P. (1998). Forces of deviance: Understanding the dark side of policing (Vol. 2). Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
Maguire, E. R., &Duffee, D. E. (Eds.). (2015). Criminal justice theory: Explaining the nature and behavior of criminal justice. Routledge.
Nelson, J. (Ed.). (2001). Police brutality: An anthology. WW Norton & Company.
Nodjimbadem, K. (2017). The Long, Painful History of Police Brutality in the US. Smithsonian. July, 27
