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Definition Essay – Sociological Theories Of Police Violence

Decent Essays

Caleb Saalfeld

Intro to Criminal Justice

28 March 2017

ϖ Police Violence
¬ Introduction
¬ Three Theories
♣ Sociological theories that government authority is most likely to be used against individuals of the inferior status
♣ Psychological theories contending that some officers are incline to utilize violence when confronted with aggressive and oppositional behavior
♣ Organizational theories contending that some police departments develop a culture that tolerates violence
♣ Whether the explanation is sociological, psychological, or organizational, the exact reason by which violence comes to be disproportionately used against minorities is unclear.
¬ Public Perception
♣ Racially-skewed policing contributes to a racial skew in public perceptions
♣ a poll …show more content…

♣ Through both state and federal law, criminal sanctions are available for officers that are guilty of using excessive force.
♣ State- officers guilty of excessive force potentially face criminal liability for assault or, in worst cases of fatal encounter, homicide.
♣ There were new statutes that would punish officers that violated internal policies regarding the use of force, or engaging in unprofessional behavior.
♣ Federal-officers acting under the color of law, willfully deprive an individual of constitutional rights (Rosenthal)
♣ Tennessee v. Garner the United states supreme court ruled that the use of deadly force to prevent an escaping felony suspect, is constitutionally unreasonable
• If officer thinks a fleeing suspect poses a threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others, deadly force is permitted
♣ What the public doesn’t know is that criminal liability, when it comes to the use of excessive force, seems to be a

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