Category: CRJ101 Intro CJ

Infamous NYPD Transit Cop Gives Secret Testimony About Racist Policing Practices – VICE

In a deposition, Constantin Tsachas rationalized quotas, targeting Black and Latino males, punishing minority cops more harshly than white ones, and having cops lurk in subway station closets.
— Read on www.vice.com/en_us/article/7kzw5b/infamous-nypd-transit-cop-gives-secret-testimony-about-racist-policing-practices

Ending the War on Drugs in Travis County, Texas How Low-Level Drug Possession Arrests are Harmful and Ineffective

There is widespread understanding that the War on Drugs intentionally targeted communities of color,

while depriving those same communities of harm-reduction resources to address the damaging effects of drug use. Nonetheless, Austin and Travis County,Texas, continue to use drug enforcement practices that harm communities, worsen racial disparities, and increase the health and financial consequences that people most directly impacted must bear. Further, local use of police as the primary means of enforcing harsh drug laws consistently fails to achieve its stated goal of reducing drug activity. Travis County residents, particularly in areas most heavily populated by people of color, have seen time and again that current practices are not working.

www.texascjc.org/system/files/publications/Report – Ending the War on Drugs in Travis County Texas.pdf

Less Is More: How Reducing Probation Populations Can Improve Outcomes

In this NEW REPORT, co-authored by Michael Jacobson, Vincent Schiraldi, Reagan Daly, and Emily Hotez, the authors discuss the consequences of the tremendous growth in probation supervision over the past several decades in the United States and argue that the number of people on probation supervision needs to be significantly downsized.

The authors find that probation has often not served as an alternative to incarceration, but rather as a key driver of mass incarceration in the United States. Despite the large numbers of individuals under supervision, probation is the most underfunded of agencies within the criminal justice system. This leaves those under supervision, often an impoverished population, with the responsibility of paying for probation supervision fees, court costs, urinalysis tests, and electronic monitoring fees among a plethora of other fines. These financial obligations have incredibly detrimental implications on the mental and economic state of those under supervision and is argued to be an unjust and ineffective public policy.

How to Conduct an After Action Review

Abstract:  An after action review (AAR) is conducted following a critical incident to allow teams to reflect on what happened, what did or did not work in the response and why, and how to improve weaknesses while sustaining and building on strengths. The National Police Foundation and the COPS Office offer this guide to provide a detailed step-by-step guide for law enforcement agencies and relevant stakeholders. By honestly reflecting on their responses to critical incidents, law enforcement can anticipate emerging challenges, incorporate promising practices, and work collaboratively to evolve and prepare for future events. This book defines the AAR process, offers a meta-analysis of 20 AARs, and describes a step-by-step guide for law enforcement agencies and others to conduct AARs

cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/Publications/cops-w0878-pub.pdf

Stop-and-Frisk in the de Blasio Era (2019) | New York Civil Liberties Union

The New York City Police Department’s aggressive stop-and-frisk program exploded into a national controversy during the mayoral administration of Michael Bloomberg, as the number of NYPD stops each year grew to hundreds of thousands. Most of the people stopped were black and Latino, and nearly all were innocent. Stop-and-frisk peaked in 2011, when NYPD officers reported making
— Read on www.nyclu.org/en/publications/stop-and-frisk-de-blasio-era-2019

Attorney General William Barr condemned by 39 prosecutors for ‘dangerous and failed’ approach to criminal justice – The Washington Post

“We know policies based on fear don’t work; they simply deepen divides and promote a false narrative,” 41 elected prosecutors wrote in a joint statement.
— Read on www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2020/02/13/attorney-general-barr-prosecutors/