A Durkheimian Analysis of Racialised Crime and Punishment Police Practices and the Demand for Change

The analysis of racialised police attitudes has been frequently addressed in academic articles, but the application of a Neo-Durkheimian approach has been largely overlooked. This article will apply Durkheimian theory to illuminate the need for a shift in crime and punishment policy and practices to avoid the present societal moral stagnation. In order to do so it will address both, the recent Black Lives Matter protests in America and the 2011 Riots in London. The use of the two case studies signifies the continuity of problematic police behaviour and political address. It is evident that such an article is embedded in an extremely sensitive topic, therefore it does not presume to provide a solution to the overwhelming circumstances. Rather, in illuminating the relevance of Durkheimian theory it signifies that current global circumstances demand a moral shift in societal understandings of solidarity and “the cult of the individual”, providing pivotal foundations for police practices. However, this requires participation of criminologists alongside practitioners and activists.

Legal regulation of practices of the police as an entity in charge of preventing and combating corruption in Ukraine

This article deals with the legal regulation of the practices of the police as an entity responsible for preventing and combating corruption. The study shows that corruption is becoming increasingly widespread, creating major obstacles to the comprehensive development of the economy and national security of any state. The objectives of this study were to clarify the problematic aspects of the legal regulation of police practices as an entity responsible for preventing corruption, to identify positive international experience in this area and to clarify its implementability in Ukraine. The corruption perceptions index regression analysis method was applied in 12 different countries around the world for 2018 and 2019. On the basis of the analysis, the authors propose to amend Ukrainian legislation with regard to the definition of the legal status of police practices as an entity responsible for preventing and combating corruption at the level of Ukrainian legislation, detailing the powers of the National Police as a specially authorized entity in the field of preventing and combating corruption in the Ukrainian Law "On the National Police".

Disappearances in Post-Transitional Argentina: A Challenge for Human Rights Interventions

This chapter aims to evaluate and share the knowledge gained on disappearances in Argentina from the period of State Terrorism to the democratic context. The widespread enforced disappearances that took place under State Terrorism, and the cases of police brutality and disappearances that have occurred since the democratic transition, have prompted the authors to consider the contrasts and the continuities from the dictatorship (1976-1983) to the present period of democratic rule. Disappearances continue to occur in which the state is involved in some way, but these do not meet the strict legal definition of enforced disappearances. They are the result of the lack of extensive institutional reforms and the continuity of bureaucratic designs since the dictatorship ended. By analysing the cases of disappearances of Luciano Arruga in 2009 and Santiago Maldonado in 2017, the chapter demonstrates that contemporary disappearances respond to logics and dynamics different from those that occurred under the state-driven plan designed to eliminate political opponents. The narrative that emerged from that earlier period shaped both the Inter-American and International systems’ norms outlawing, preventing and punishing the use of enforced disappearances. In the current post-transition era, the unexplained absence of someone who is especially vulnerable to unlawful police practices strikes a sensitive chord and echoes the painful past. The authors challenge human rights activists to consider ways to revise the international human rights framework to develop the legal tools to respond to these disappearances in which state agencies are involved but in a different manner than in the past.

‘Arrest, Arrest, Arrest’

The focus of the empirical account of human rights in Part IV is on the suspect’s right to liberty in the context of police custody. In keeping with the style adopted in Part III, the discussion that follows seeks to closely analyse how particular aspects of police practices and decision-making interact with human rights law standards. The aim in this chapter is to explore how the three statutory safeguards established in PACE to protect the suspect’s right to liberty have fared in the face of organizational pressure to detect and ‘clear up’ crime. Using the three due process safeguards established in PACE to form a framework for this chapter’s analysis, the chapter explores how officers apply, dismiss, interpret and reconstruct each of these safeguards in their everyday work. Once again, the richness of this analysis, specifically its appreciation for how law and practice do (or do not) interact, is enhanced by paying close attention to the development of lines of authority in the case law that have, it is argued, watered down the legal standards officers must apply. This analysis of the case law is based on recent judgments from the High Court and Divisional Court of Northern Ireland, as well as from the Court of Appeal in England and Wales.

The lasting effect of community police academies: Results of a 6-month follow-up

Community police academies (CPA) are used by police agencies to educate the public on practices and expand community involvement. Using pre-test, post-test, and follow-up survey data, the current study examines the lasting effects of attending a CPA on citizen knowledge, perceptions, and concerns. Results indicate that participants were more knowledgeable about police practices, perceived officers as more honest and accountable, and expressed lower concerns about use of force and misconduct immediately following participation. Follow-up results indicated that, while knowledge was retained, the improvements to perceptions of honesty and accountability were reduced and concerns about misconduct had increased 6 months later.

Misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, and malicious accusations: A reply to Walby’s (2021) SWAT Everywhere?

To develop a more informed understanding of why tactical officers are used in Canada, we interviewed patrol and tactical officers from three Canadian police services (Jenkins et al., 2020). Interviewees indicated that tactical officers tend to be used on calls that go beyond the capabilities of patrol officers, including high-risk calls and calls unfolding in special environments, and that their use results in reduced threat to police and public safety. In response, Walby (2021) has argued that evidence-based policing (EBP) research of the sort we conducted is inherently biased. He also criticized our understanding of existing literature, took aim at our research methodology and conclusions, and questioned our academic integrity by claiming that we were paid by the participating police services to conduct the research. While Walby makes some valid criticisms of our research, his response is riddled with misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, and malicious (unfounded) accusations. After setting the record straight with respect to allegations regarding our nefarious motives to conduct the research, we argue that Walby completely misrepresents EBP research when he argues that it aims to support harmful police practices in exchange for financial support. We then correct numerous instances where Walby either mischaracterizes existing research or misrepresents our views (and those of our interviewees) when it comes to the use of tactical officers. We conclude by calling for more inclusive conversations to take place to address the issue of police militarization. These conversations must include community members, but they must also include the police.

Reducing police occupational needle stick injury risk following an interactive training: the SHIELD cohort study in Mexico

ObjectiveAt a time of unprecedented attention to the public health impact of policing, it is imperative to understand the role of occupational safety in shaping officer behaviours. We assessed the longitudinal impact of police training in a quasi-experimental hybrid type-1 trial to reduce syringe-related occupational risk, while realigning police practices with public health prevention among people who inject drugs (PWID).SettingTijuana, Mexico.ParticipantsOf 1806 Tijuana municipal police trainees, 771 reporting previous exposure to syringes were randomly selected for follow-up. All participants completed at least one follow-up visit; attrition at 24 months was 8%.InterventionBetween 2015 and 2016, officers received a training intervention (Safety and Health Integration in the Enforcement of Laws on Drugs, SHIELD) bundling occupational needle stick injury (NSI) prevention with health promotion among PWID.Outcome measuresLongitudinal analysis with generalised linear mixed models to evaluate training impact on occupational NSI risk via NSI incidence and prevalidated Syringe Threat and Injury Correlates (STIC) score. This composite indicator integrates five self-reported risky syringe-handling practices (eg, syringe confiscation, breaking) and was used as a proxy for NSI risk due to reporting bias and concerns about reliability of NSI incidence reports.ResultsNo change in self-reported NSI incidence was observed, but significant reductions in risk (16.2% decrease in STIC score) occurred at 3 months, with a sustained decrease of 17.8% through 24 months, compared with pretraining (p<0.001). Police assignment (patrol vs administration) moderated the training effect (p=0.01). Younger age, male gender, lower rank and previous NSI were independently and significantly associated with higher NSI risk overtime, although all groups demonstrated significant reductions post-training.ConclusionsSHIELD is the first intervention to be associated with significant sustained changes in police practices that pose risk for both occupational and the public’s health. Integrating occupational safety and public health education should inform other interventions to mitigate the community health detriments of policing behaviours.Trial registration numberNCT02444403.

Composite Method

This paper explores how race comes to matter in the practice of police facial composite drawing. The confidential nature of criminal investigations prevented us from using research material collected through observations of police practices. The authors developed an experimental film project in collaboration with two forensic artists to illuminate the production of (visual) differences in the context of facial composite drawing. We recorded the process using a variety of technologies to produce different materializations of the drawing event. The experimental setting created a reflexive space for all participants, albeit not in the same way. Tinkering with the materials generated allowed us to analyze the enactment and slipperiness of race in practice. This paper combines written text with experimental montage to address three different practices through which race takes shape in the process of making facial composite drawings: 1) touching as describing; 2) layering and surfacing; and 3) articulating the common.

Municipal Reparations: Considerations and Constitutionality

Demands for racial justice are resounding, and in turn, various localities have considered issuing reparations to Black residents. Municipalities may be effective venues in the struggle for reparations, but they face a variety of questions when crafting legislation. This Note walks through key considerations using proposed and enacted reparations plans as examples. It then presents a hypothetical city resolution addressing Philadelphia’s discriminatory police practices. Next, it turns to a constitutional analysis of reparations policies under current Fourteenth Amendment jurisprudence, discussing both race-neutral and race-conscious plans. This Note argues that an antisubordination understanding of the Equal Protection Clause would better allow political branches to rectify vestiges of past discrimination and ongoing inequities through reparations plans such as the hypothetical Philadelphia City Council resolution. With these suggestions in mind, municipalities must boldly imagine and extend reparations to marginalized groups that have suffered harms. Similarly, the Court must reimagine its constitutional doctrine.