Research project critique:
Police Brutality in America
Introduction
This article examines the extent of police brutality in the USA, as written by the researcher. In the introduction part, the researcher gives an overview of what brutality means, and according to him, it’s the extreme and unlawful use of force by the police officers to the civilians. This brutality maybe informs of assault, battery, torture and even killings (Jean Tyra, Ch 2). According to the researcher, brutality also consists of psychological harm through the act of intimidation tactics such as paranoia and post-trauma stress disorders (PSTD) (Worden Robert, Ch 4). From the introduction part, the researcher gives a clear elaboration of what consists of police brutality but fails to give a general contexture of the matter. The researcher fails to explain the topic, and the reader is trying to guess what the essay is all about. The research topic from the essay is not precise as it would have been liked to be. A sentence like, “this essay seeks to discuss the extent of police brutality to the civilian in America” would have given the reader a clear purpose.
In the body of the research, the author highlights some of the reasons driving the police officers to indulge in acts of brutality. Yes, it is true that individual who engage in police brutality they act with approval from their bosses while others act for individual reasons (Lyle, Perry and Ashraf, 175). The author identifies the African Americans as the most venerable people to police brutality, but its good to note that even the whites are also victims of brutality, especially in demonstrations. In many circumstances, African American men are the most on the receiving end of police brutality, with African American women being victims of rapes (Rogers Arneta, 205). On the contrary, police officers are responsible for the civilians’ safety and are supposed to be the people’s servants. The writer gives an example of shootings, which he believes had an element of racism in them. This includes Michael Brown, Missouri and countless other deaths within the United States of America. In this paragraph, the writer gives identifies the venerable group of people and gives examples to support his idea. This idea gives weight to the subject matter and shows that he had done prior research.
The body paragraphs are developed to the central idea of police brutality, with each paragraph trying to add weight to the subject matter by giving information such as numerical figures, historical evidence, and facts. According to the writer, most of the immigration to the United States happened in the year 1916 to 1970, whereby most blacks moved to urban white territories. There is a myth that blacks tend to commit crimes. This myth explains why 90% of the people stopped and frisked by police officers were blacks, while 10% represented the whites. According to him, only less than 20% of the cases filed against police brutality results in disciplinary actions (Alang Sirry et al., 663). However, I tend to think that is not true as the figure may be less than 10%. The statistical figures help in giving a clear picture of the matter in question.
The writer has used various expert quotations throughout the article. In some instances, the Attorney general Janet Reno was quoted, saying, “there is a problem,” “effective policing does not mean abusive policing” (Carter Corinthian, 521). This is a wise move as the quotes help understand the level at which the matter in question had been raised. In this work, the author extensively applies sentences that are skillfully constructed. There is a combination of short and long sentences with irony use proved to be on another level. Although no one is perfect, the author has shown excellent grammar skills to express the work. However, the abstract terms are not defined from the essay; instead, the author is defining between the texts. The formatting is in MLA format, and this includes the in-text citations used.
From the conclusion paragraph, the writer gives a summary of his main points in the essay. This summary is well put in that the whole idea of the writer is represented here. Also, he predicts the development of police brutality, terming it as a pandemic that needs to be addressed urgently. After addressing police brutality, the author doesn’t end without giving some recommendations on how to reduce the brutality. According to the author, reforms such as hiring black police officers and more African American police officers in senior positions can help reduce the brutality. The essay attains the threshold of a good one because it has discussed the issue giving facts, historical grounds and numerical figures. Also, the principle of good writing has been observed, such as paragraphing, grammar usage, in-depth analysis of subject matter and proper usage of citations.
Work Cited
Alang, Sirry, et al. “Police brutality and black health: Setting the agenda for public health scholars.” American journal of public health 107.5 (2017): 662-665.
Carter, Corinthia A. “Police Brutality, the Law & Today’s Social Justice Movement: How the Lack of Police Accountability Has Fueled# Hashtag Activism.” CUNY L. Rev. 20 (2016): 521.
Jean, Tyra. “Black Lives Matter: Police Brutality in the Era of COVID-19.” (2020).
Lyle, Perry, and Ashraf M. Esmail. “Sworn to Protect: Police Brutality–A Dilemma for America’s Police.” Race, Gender & Class 23.3-4 (2016): 155-185.
Rogers, Arneta. “How police brutality harms mothers: Linking police violence to the reproductive justice movement.” Hastings Race & Poverty LJ 12 (2015): 205.
Worden, Robert E. The causes of police brutality: Theory and evidence on police use of force. Vol. 2. Routledge, New York, NY, ed, 2015.