Race crime and justice M2 peer reply 1 : The Harsh Reality of Excessive Force by Police Against Minorities in the U.S.

The Harsh Reality of Excessive Force by Police Against Minorities in the U.S.

ANSWER

Race crime and justice M2 peer reply 1

I agree with the post that there is a long-standing problem of police using excessive force against minorities in the United States. Studies have consistently shown that black and Hispanic people are more likely to be subjected to force by police than white people (Gabbidon and Greene, 2018). In some cases, this excessive force can even lead to death. The problem of police using excessive force against minorities has been a challenging issue in United States. There are many factors that contribute to it, including racism, prejudice, and discrimination. These factors can lead to police feeling that they need to use more force when dealing with minority suspects.

I agree with the post that it’s impossible to gauge the excessive use of force for each situation. This is because not every situation that the police offer is confronted with the same situation there lacks a proper guideline that a police officer should follow to prevent the use of force. Police officers should be trained on the proper use of force and should be held accountable when they use excessive force. Until these changes are made, the problem of police using excessive force against minorities is likely to continue. For instance, a police officer can be trained on how to sue force and how much force should be used.

Objective reasonableness in the use of excessive force by police has been a legal standard in the United States since the 1989 Supreme Court case Graham v. Connor. The objective reasonableness standard takes into account the totality of the circumstances that an officer is faced with at the time force is used. This includes such things as the severity of the crime, whether the suspect is resisting arrest, and whether the suspect poses a threat to the officer or others (Gabbidon and Greene, 2018).

While this standard is supposed to be race-neutral, research has shown that race is a factor in how officers perceive the severity of a situation and whether or not they believe force is necessary. Objective reasonableness means that it never matters whether the officer believes that the conduct was legal instead they are required to prove that a reasonable officer could agree that a conduct was legal. However, I agree with the post that there is not a definitive description since not all situations are the same or should be treated the same.

 References

Gabbidon, S. L., & Greene, H. T. (2018). Race and crime. Sage Publications.