Episode 133: Policing Reform

For today’s episode, Tyrell and Daphne have a conversation about recent proposals related to policing reform. They begin the episode by discussing the foundations of policing in the United States (3:15) and the nature and outcomes of various police reforms over time (14:45). The host then have a conversation about recent proposals to defund the police (30:15), the function that police should serve in society (37:15), recent examples of how cities are narrowing the scope of police work (40:00), and the debate over the #DefundThePolice movement (44:16). The hosts close the episode by discussing recent political proposals related to criminal justice reform (46:00), police unions as an obstacle to reform (53:49), and the critical role of prosecutors in holding police accountable (57:57).

Resources:

• National Law Enforcement Museum - https://lawenforcementmuseum.org

• Police Abolition: A Curated Collection of Links - https://www.themarshallproject.org/records/3382-police-abolition

• Slavery by Another Name - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/14301/slavery-by-another-name-by-douglas-a-blackmon/

• Key Differences in current proposals - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/us/politics/police-reform-bill.html

• Procedural Justice - https://cops.usdoj.gov/prodceduraljustice

• Critique of Procedural Justice - https://www.yalelawjournal.org/essay/police-reform-and-the-dismantling-of-legal-estrangement

• States that are implementing police reform - https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/06/18/which-states-are-taking-on-police-reform-after-george-floyd

• House Passes Sweeping Policing Bill Targeting Racial Bias and Use of Force - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/25/us/politics/house-police-overhaul-bill.html

• Senate Democrats block GOP police reform bill, throwing overhaul effort into flux - https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/24/politics/senate-police-reform-bill/index.html

• McConnell promises quick action on GOP police reform, setting up showdown with Democrats - https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/17/politics/senate-police-reform-bill-mcconnell/index.html

• Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Strike Down Affordable Care Act - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/us/politics/obamacare-trump-administration-supreme-court.html

• Democrats offer sweeping police reform bill - https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/08/politics/democrats-police-legislation/index.html

• Police Unions as an Obstacle to Reform - https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/06/10/a-major-obstacle-to-police-reform-the-whiteness-of-their-union-bosses

• Prosecutors are Critical for Reform - https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/05/are-prosecutors-the-key-to-justice-reform/483252/