Rethinking the role of the police in the 21st century

Alex S. Vitale is professor of Sociology and coordinator of the Police Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College. His writing on policing has appeared in the New York Times, New York Daily News, USA Today, The Nation and Vice News.

In his book he opens the debate on the future of the police. Recent years have seen an explosion of protests against police brutality and repression. Among activists, journalists and politicians, the debate on how to respond and improve policing has focused on accountability, diversity, training and community relations. Unfortunately, these relationships alone or in combination will not produce results. The root of the problem must be addressed: the nature of modern policing itself. The practices of 'broken windows', the militarisation of law enforcement, and the dramatic expansion of the role of the police over the past forty years have created a mandate for officers that must be reversed. This book attempts to provoke public discussion by revealing the tainted origins of modern policing as a tool of social control. It shows how the expansion of police authority is incompatible with community empowerment, social justice, even public safety. Drawing on groundbreaking research from around the world and covering virtually every area in the ever-widening range of policing, Alex Vitale demonstrates how law enforcement has come to exacerbate the same problems it is supposed to solve. In contrast, he provides examples of places where robust implementation of policing alternatives, such as legalisation, restorative justice and harm reduction, has led to reductions in crime, expense and injustice. The best solution to poor policing may be to end it.

Links:
https://capitanswing.com/libros/el-final-del-control-policial/
https://www.tigredepaper.cat/ca/cataleg/la-fi-del-control-policial
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_S._Vitale
https://twitter.com/anais_franquesa
https://iridia.cat/

By: Anaïs Franquesa

In collaboration with:
Editorial Capitán Swing
Editorial Tigre de Paper
Direcció General per a la Promoció i Defensa dels Drets Humans - Generalitat de Catalunya