Gangs, Groups and Justice
Gangs, Groups and Justice
The Rios, Prieto, and Ibarra’s (2020) research has several implications. For instance, it could influence police reforms where the police are increasingly called upon to apply respect and courtesy while engaging with criminalized populations. Also, police reforms could be called to focus more on enhancing race relations between police departments and communities that are criminalized. This will serve to enhance due process, reduce harm, and in the end, build trust. Trust will, in turn, enhance cooperation. This research might influence community policing departments to begin to de-emphasize the stop-and-frisk as a vital approach in preventing crimes. As such, these departments could be challenged to start promoting and rewarding a policing model that focuses on dignity. This way, the public will feel secure and protected by law enforcement.
According to Rios, Prieto, and Ibarra’s (2020), the concept of mano suave-mano dura refers to the act where officers often focus on interacting with civilians in a respectful and courteous manner so as to build trust, and apply punitive measures at the same time to prevent crime. Therefore, the mano suave and mano dura concepts tell us about the causes of the current protests in that they are entangled with and restricted by the racial bias which is central to punitive policing approaches such as the stop-and-frisk. The coercive nature of this kind of law enforcement-citizen relationship is what ultimately brings about protests. The mano suave and mano dura policing also tell us about the SOLUTIONS to the current protests. As such, the solutions lie in moving from a type of policing that uses courtesy to justify punitive treatment to where improving respect, courtesy, and dignity is the eventual goal. In my opinion, the police should NOT be defunded or abolished, but retrained, with revisions made to recruitment strategies and requirements, increased standards for officer behavior, a database for police who do misconduct, and other reforms.
Reference
Rios, V. M., Prieto, G., & Ibarra, J. M. (2020). Mano Suave–Mano Dura: Legitimacy
Policing and Latino Stop-and-Frisk. American Sociological Review, 85(1), 58-75.
