An Abolitionist Horizon for Police (Reform)

Akbar, Amna A.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3670952

Cited by 17 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…From agency-level decisions like the Ferguson Police Department's use of revenue generating policies (see Chaney, 2015), to individual uses of force, the deliberate actions of law enforcement represent real potential for harm about which some communities care deeply. Even a cursory evaluation of the discussion surrounding de-funding the police suggests a strong focus on these negative impacts of police actions (Akbar, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Vulnerability to the Police: A Quantitative Inquiry

Hamm

Searle

Carr

et al. 2021

Criminal Justice and Behavior

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The recent protests regarding the state of policing in the United States clearly demonstrate that how the police do their job creates a salient potential for harm to the public. This study applies a multidimensional paradigm of risk perception to quantify evaluations of police-caused harm. Using data from a national (U.S.) convenience sample ( n = 1,890) that oversampled individuals who self-identified as black or Muslim, we tested whether these evaluations vary systematically (using confidence intervals), whether they covary with police legitimacy (using structural equation modeling), and the extent to which that covariance differs by demographic status (using multiple groups structural equation modeling). Our results suggest that black and Muslim individuals evaluate police-caused harm differently than do majority group members (white and Christian) on most, but not all, of the measured dimensions. We also find that those evaluations are predictive of trust and provide evidence of some level of consistency across communities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Vulnerability to the Police: A Quantitative Inquiry

Hamm

Searle

Carr

et al. 2021

Criminal Justice and Behavior

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“…This may contribute to the "us versus them" mentality, keeping score on sentence length as success for prosecutions, arrest numbers for police, and breaches for parole and probation (Sawyer & Wagner, 2020). Recent world events have had an impact on policing, bringing the justice system under the microscope, as the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the murder of Breonna Taylor by police in Louisville, Kentucky, have all led to discussions of defunding the police and implementing massive justice reforms (Akbar, 2020;Watson et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Universal precautions: A methodology for trauma-informed justice

Jones

2021

JCSWB

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The research clearly indicates that the vast majority of individuals involved in the justice system who display offending behaviour have experienced trauma, victimization, or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Knowing this to be empirically factual raises the question, why is this not highlighted in the training of police officers, correctional officers, parole and probation officers, crown prosecutors, defence lawyers, and judges alike? An understanding of the Justice Client and their complex trauma could have important consequences on how all justice actors interact with people who experience the justice system. Knowing that these individuals were often victims long before they were offending could bring a more compassionate lens to the justice system. Having traumatic experiences is not the cause of offending, but it is often present in the offending population. The prevalence of trauma among the offending population, who themselves have often traumatized their victims, suggests a much-needed change in how police are trained to interact with Justice Clients. This paper applies the concept of Universal Precautions from first aid training in the development of practical policy to create a justice system based in compassion.

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“…Protests demanding justice for Floyd, often accompanied by demonstrations against police brutality, took place in cities throughout the United States and around the world and were often accompanied by activist calls to “defund the police.” Although this slogan is open to many interpretations, a common argument by supporters is that financing community programs to combat poverty, substance abuse, homelessness, and mental disorder is a more effective crime response than investments in the police (The Guardian, 2020). In a law review article published a few months after Floyd's death, Akbar (2020, p. 1786) argued that “police violence is routine, is legal, takes many shapes, and targets people based on their race and class.” Even though many suggestions associated with the defund the police argument are unpopular with a majority of Americans, a Reuters/Ipsos (2021) poll in early 2021 found that 76 percent of people queried were in favor of redirecting funds from police to programs targeting specific issues like homelessness and mental health.…”

Section: Impact Of Illegal Political Extremism On Policingmentioning

confidence: 99%