Police Use of Force
2 pages long, sized 12 font, double spaced. Spelling and grammar does count (and this includes not having an extra space in between paragraphs.
Please choose one of the following topics (or if you have one you’re passionate about that’s not listed, that’s fine as well) to write an opinion paper on. No need for research unless you want to include some, I just like knowing how people feel about issues related to our criminal justice system.
Police Use of Force
The United States criminal justice system deals with criminal cases through application of the US constitution. The criminal justice system comprises of various components, which are distinct functions of the penal system: law enforcement, adjudication as well as corrections (Cole, Smith, and DeJong, 2018). The law enforcement department arrests and conduct investigations on various criminal cases. The law enforcement body includes; the homeland security, the US department of justice as well as the local government police organization. The paper is a discussion of police use of force.
The law enforcement department’s relationship with most American communities is challenging where over the years, youths and black Americans have protested on excessive use of power (Miethe, Venger, and Lieberman, 2019). In efforts to improve the relationship between police and citizens, various strategies and reforms are introduced to enhance justice and fair treatment where the United States community rights under the US constitution advocate for appropriate individual therapy as well as equal treatment according to the fourth, fourteenth, and eight amendments.
Allegations of police misconduct and use of excessive force have increased, although the claims are not entirely justified. The cause of increased and continuous complaints towards law enforcement is due to lack and insufficient data from federal reporting and standardized reporting guidelines (Miethe, Venger, and Lieberman, 2019). Data concerning police misconduct is rare, especially on cases of police shooting as well as other malpractice. Media, as well as non-profit organizations, provide reporting, which is not enough. In essence, reporting ensures the validity of allegations both from police as well as the community where sometimes the charges end up being distrusted. Law enforcement and community relationship are the most important in enhancing public safety through a reduction in recidivism. The connection is developed through the engagement of the law enforcement department into fair treatment as well as accountability. Subjecting the American community to criminal justice police practices is only valid when police officers are accountable and adhere to a designed professional code of ethics. The use of excessive force and discrimination from police affect the disadvantaged in the United States such as the black Americans, the LGBT community, low-income community as well as people living with disabilities.
The law enforcement department’s responsibilities and duties involve protecting citizens as well as the providence of other community services. Police officers should work and follow professional standards where every individual has the right to receive police services without discrimination and fear of violation (Miethe, Venger, and Lieberman, 2019). Many people recently do not rely on police officers’ support, where most cases go unreported as a result of a lack of trust and confidence from the community. Insufficient police officer’s training is a big problem and a driving force to police misconduct. For instance, most police officers deal with juvenile cases yet not trained on how to deal with children’s situations. Additionally, lack of knowledge about cultural differences, lack of tactical skills as well as handling individuals with mental or physical illnesses.
For several decades, law enforcement has been a major national concern due to reduced use of various police practices such as the use of force. The criminal justice system of the United States should enforce and collaborate with the community in creating police practices. The government should come up with a national database program for the collection and reporting of the use of force in law enforcement. The reported cases on the use of force should be handled, and steps are taken to improve future police practices.
References
Cole, G. F., Smith, C. E., & DeJong, C. (2018). The American system of criminal justice. Cengage Learning.
Miethe, T. D., Venger, O., & Lieberman, J. D. (2019). Police use of force and its video coverage: An experimental study of the impact of media source and content on public perceptions. Journal of criminal justice, 60, 35-46.
