Tag: Criminal Justice System

Did American Police Originate from Slave Patrols? by Timothy Hsiao | NAS

Critics of American policing often make the claim that it is a direct descendant of antebellum slave patrols, the mostly voluntary groups organized to capture runaway slaves and stifle slave rebellions in the early eighteenth century. Consider just a few examples:

“The origins of modern-day policing can be traced back to the ‘Slave Patrol.’” — NAACP1
“Policing itself started out as slave patrols. We know that.”—Rep. James Clyburn.2
— Read on www.nas.org/academic-questions/36/3/did-american-police-originate-from-slave-patrols

Myths and Realities: Prosecutors and Criminal Justice Reform | Brennan Center for Justice

Prosecutors play a vital role in the criminal justice system, determining not just which cases to pursue but also what charges to file and penalties to seek. Over the past decade, some prosecutors have developed approaches that aim to reduce racial and economic disparities and unjust outcomes in the legal system — such as excessive sentences or the criminalization of poverty through cash bail — while preserving public safety.

Far from a unified group, these prosecutors bring many different approaches to their work. They span the political spectrum and are found in urban and rural jurisdictions alike. They are often grouped under the label “progressive prosecutors” or “reform-minded prosecutors.” For the purposes of this analysis, we use the term “pro-reform prosecutors” to indicate chief district attorneys, county attorneys, commonwealth attorneys, and state attorneys who campaigned on or promised to reimagine the role of their office to broadly reduce unjust disparities in the justice system and decrease unnecessary incarceration.
— Read on www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/myths-and-realities-prosecutors-and-criminal-justice-reform

Declines in victims calling the police in 21st-century America: how the trends vary by race/ethnicity and racial-immigration contexts | Crime Science | Full Text

Abstract
Victims’ willingness to call the police facilitates access to the justice system and potential resources. Research shows a decline in police notification in the United States in recent decades, but the research has not assessed variation in trends across different racial/ethnic groups and different racial-immigration contexts. This study uses the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) data from 52 metropolitan areas in the United States from 2000 to 2015 to investigate how victims across racial/ethnic groups vary in the likelihood of crime reporting based on geographic context. The results show that Black, Latino, and Asian victims’ crime-reporting behavior is influenced by the racial/ethnic and immigrant composition of the metropolitan areas. While the likelihood of police notification between racial/ethnic minorities and Whites is often similar when averaged across areas, minority victims in areas with higher percentages of Black or immigrant residents show a lower likelihood of crime reporting than their White counterparts. The higher percentage of immigrants is also associated with a steeper decline in the reporting of property crimes. These findings demonstrate the context-dependent nature of crime reporting. They help explain mixed evidence on the associations of race/ethnicity with police notification. To understand the crime-reporting behavior of victims, especially those who are racially marginalized, more attention to racial-immigration contexts is needed.
— Read on crimesciencejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40163-024-00233-7

US DoJ Weighs in for Advocates in Lawsuit against NYC’s Discriminatory Use of Police to Respond to Mental Health Crises – Legal Reader

DoJ supports advocates in suit to end discrimination against people with mental disabilities by sending police as first responders to mental health crises.
— Read on www.legalreader.com/us-doj-weighs-in-for-advocates-in-lawsuit-against-nycs-discriminatory-use-of-police-to-respond-to-mental-health-crises/

Access the court case here:

Baerga v. City of New York et al, No. 1:2021cv05762 – Document 193 (S.D.N.Y. 2024)

Not Taking Crime Seriously: California’s Prop 47 Exacerbated Crime and Drug Abuse | Manhattan Institute

In November 2014, California voters approved a criminal justice reform measure, Proposition 47 (“Prop 47”), with almost 60% support.[1] Ten years later, California voters are now considering rolling back some of its soft-on-crime policies. Prop 47 identified six “petty” crimes—grand theft, larceny, personal drug use, forgery, and two types of check fraud—and reclassified them. It […]
— Read on manhattan.institute/article/not-taking-crime-seriously-californias-prop-47-exacerbated-crime-and-drug-abuse