And Justice for All: Understanding and Controlling Police Abuse of Force

• NCJ Number: 155434
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 372 pages
• Grant Number(s): 91-IJ-CX-0027
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Issue Overview

Annotation

Written from the perspectives of policing, law, psychology, sociology, political science, public administration, criminology, anthropology, and others, these 15 papers focus on police use of force and police misuse of force and recommend actions to prevent police brutality.

Abstract

Individual papers define abuse of force, provide an overview of theoretical issues relating to the causes of police abuse, suggest reasons for knowledge gaps in this area, and consider whether certain police officers are predisposed to violence. Additional chapters discuss trends in public attitudes toward police, review data regarding whether bias enters into the use of excessive force, and explore the assumption that police misconduct can be reduced by screening out police candidates who are predisposed toward violence or corruption. Further papers focus on police training, the potential role of police unions in controlling the use of force, three models of administrative investigation and adjudication of complaints against the police, circumstances under which people feel respect for the law and legal institutions, the impacts of lawsuits on police use of force, and other countries' systems for controlling police brutality. Tables, footnotes, and approximately 800 references