The Effects Police Brutality has on Society

Introduction

There are many issues that can cause dysfunction in a society. Police brutality has become debatable and a major issue America faces today. Police brutality can be traced back all the way to the early 1870s. Police brutality is the use of excessive force by a police officer. Which can arrange from anything as far as assaults, lethal force, harassment and much more. The use of force has been around for decades as a way of solving conflicts and protests.

This issue has become worse in society because individuals have rights and can capture the issue on their technology devices. As the world becomes more technology-based police brutality is more as visible to society.

Many individuals feel as though the police can’t protect them and only make problems worst. Which can cause citizens to lose trust and faith in the police. Many individuals feel that force is necessary to prevent more crimes. According to Johan Burger, a decline in trust and confidence is harmful to the ability to reduce crime and improve safety. Without the trust of the citizen that the police serve individuals feel as though what is the purpose to have the police force. Research shows that trust serves as the main middleman between police officers and citizens is trust

A study shows that African American are treated differently when they come in contact with law enforcement than Caucasians. They are more likely to be pushed against the ground, peppered sprayed and handcuff. Which could cause tension between the African Americans and the police force. Police brutality is a persistent issue in America. Research shows that minorities show less trust in police officers based on two things.

The first reason is that of first-hand experiences to negative experiences with police officers. The second reason is that minorities are heavily incarcerated. A data analysis showed that perceived discrimination produces heightened stress responses and unhealthy behavior.

Scope of the Research

This study will look at the impacts police brutality has on society. It will also look at the problem that occurs from police brutality. I will also include the impacts police brutality can have on an individual mentally and physically. This study will also look at the impact police brutality has on the relationship between police and the community.

Interdisciplinary approach

An interdisciplinary approach is important to this issue because it allows an individual to see different angles to this problem. It can allow this issue to be viewed through several different disciplines. An interdisciplinary approach can allow for more creative and outside the box ideas. It allows for new ways for information to be learned and applied. Overall, applying an interdisciplinary approach helps for a better understanding all around.

Some disciplines I would apply to this issue would be Psychology, sociology, geology, and history. These disciplines would give a well-rounded idea of the issues with police brutality and how not to repeat the past. It would also find ways to improve police brutality. I would apply Psychology to look at the impact police brutality had of victims of it. A person could look at the short and long-term effects it has on an individual’s development.

A sociology discipline would allow someone to study police brutality around them and what areas have the highest rates. It would allow a person to see how police brutality impacts the community around them. It also allows a person to study the functions of a society before a police brutality and after one. A sociology discipline could look at other countries that are experiencing police brutality.

A political science discipline would allow someone to look at the impact police brutality has on the government. A political science discipline would allow someone to come up with a more suitable way to solve police brutality. A political science discipline would allow someone to learn or in place laws to crack down on police brutality.

A history discipline would allow someone to learn about previous incidents of police brutality. It would allow them to learn from past incidents and how to not repeat the same mistakes. It would allow someone to learn what caused police brutality and how it began. It would allow someone to learn how to stop police brutality.

Literature Review

Cosgrove, A.L (2015) explains the history of police brutality and the cause of police brutality. In this article, experts say that police officers are trained to kill today. Many officers say that a lack of cooperation from the suspect leads them to use deadly force. Many feel as though police officers should wear body cameras for their safety.

The Stillman Exchange (2015) believes that police officers, who partake in such harsh treatment go out of their way to hurt the victims and that people who did something horrible they deserve what they got. She talks about how the public views of police brutality as a racist concept in which police target minorities on purpose. She talks about how there are instances that affect the community drastically. It causes them to be less willing to call police if anything was to happen to them.

Punchak (2018) article talks about impacts police brutality has on citizens and the lawful rights citizens have when dealing with police officers. Citizens are allowed to use force to defend themselves against police brutality as long as that is used in an illegal arrest. When an officer misuses his authority to harm others, he is no longer under oath and an officer.

(2014) This article looks at what happens when a citizen doesn’t trust police officers and the impact police brutality can have an individual mentally. Trust can be defined as the belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective. Trust promotes healthy interactions and no trust promotes unhealthy interactions. Trust between a police officer and a citizen is important because without it there wouldn’t be a way to ensure safety.

Cite Resources:

Cosgrove, A. L. (2015, February 12). The history of police brutality [Blog]. https://sites.psu.edu/violenceinamerica/2015/02/12/the-history-of-police-brutality/

The Stillman Exchange. (2015, November 18). Police Brutality: Social Impact. https://thestillmanexchange.com/2015/11/18/police-brutality-social-impact/

The Stillman Exchange. (2015, November 18). Police Brutality: Social Impact. https://thestillmanexchange.com/2015/11/18/police-brutality-social-impact/

What Happens When We Don’t Trust Law Enforcement? (2014, September 9). https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brick-brick/201409/what-happens-when-we-dont-trust-law-enforcement-0

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