The Issue of Criminal Justice
The majority of people in our community are affected significantly by the issue of criminal justice. The cops, courts, and prisons all have a part to play in making sure the criminal justice system runs smoothly. However, when handling criminal justice cases, the cops occasionally step over the line and behave brutally. Police are required to protect the public and deal with anyone who presents a threat to it, but occasionally excessive force is used by them without justification. When the civil rights of a civilian are broken, whether that person is guilty of a crime or not, the use of force crosses the line into brutality. Using tools such as Tasers, batons, pepper spray, and also some actions like choking, heating the unarmed and cooperative civilian is crossing the line of brutality. Sexual abuse is another form of brutality that is much harmful to the civilian (Williams & Kristian 56). What makes these forms of brutality be considered to cross the line is the harm that the brutality brings to the victim. Something like sexual abuse can have long-lasting effects on the victim.
The Role of Police in Applying Force
The mission of the police is to serve and protect the public and to do this efficiently; the police need to apply reasonable and necessary force (Meares & Tracey 1355). It's important for police officers to have the ability to use force in a situation where it is necessary because failure to do so they might not be able to protect the public from harmful criminals. However, the force they apply should never be excessive as there is a fine line that separates the justified use of force by the police officers and that of using excessive or brutal force (Brownmiller & Susan 100). For instance, a different level of force should be applied on different occasions depending on the threats posed to the public.
Work cited
Brownmiller, Susan. Against our will: Men, women, and rape. Open Road Media, 2013.
Meares, Tracey L. "a critical look at crime and policing in the United States: the path forward: improving the dynamics of community--police relationships to achieve effective law enforcement policies." Colum. L. Rev. 117 (2017): 1355-1355.
Williams, Kristian. Our enemies in blue: Police and power in America. AK Press, 2015.
