Understanding Police Brutality Sociological Perspe
Police brutality—excessive or unjust force by law enforcement—violates human rights and undermines public trust. From a structural functionalist view, it disrupts the police's role in maintaining order, safety, and social stability.
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Police Brutality and Its Three Sociological Perspectives
Structural Functionalism Application
Various police human rights violations have been referred to as "police brutality1 at
times. This could involve unjustified executions, torture, or the indiscriminate deployment of riot
control measures during protests. The worst-case scenario is the denial of a person's right to life
due to the improper use of force by law enforcement. It may also be deemed torture or another
type of abuse if the police are using excessive or unwanted force The use of unlawful force by
law enforcement can affect the rights to liberty, security, and equal protection under the law. It is
the police's responsibility to support peaceful protests, and not the other way around, in terms of
their overall objective, which is to serve, calm, and protect society. They are accountable for
preserving stability and order. We can guarantee long-term peace and development by
preventing, detecting, and investigating crime, protecting persons and property, and maintaining
public order and safety.
I'll use instances from Missouri, our state, to illustrate how certain organizations combat
police brutality nationwide. An extension of Hands Up United, The Books & Breakfast strives to
provide a venue that encourages conversation about social justice and the improvement of
education in African-American communities. Dedicated to reducing injustice, Hands Up United
promotes more political and economic education for people of color. Local NAACP Chapters are
a wonderful source for staying up to date on current affairs and learning how to continue taking
part in the fight to eradicate the scourge of police brutality that terrorizes the Black community,
to provide one national example. Another national example is Black Youth Project 100, whose
primary objectives are to improve leadership development, direct action organizing and
education in order to secure justice and freedom for all Black people, ’You've been outraged.
You've been saddened. You've been frustrated. Now get involved" (Davis, 2020)
Structural Functionalism Application
Various police human rights violations have been referred to as "police brutality1 at
times. This could involve unjustified executions, torture, or the indiscriminate deployment of riot
control measures during protests. The worst-case scenario is the denial of a person's right to life
due to the improper use of force by law enforcement. It may also be deemed torture or another
type of abuse if the police are using excessive or unwanted force The use of unlawful force by
law enforcement can affect the rights to liberty, security, and equal protection under the law. It is
the police's responsibility to support peaceful protests, and not the other way around, in terms of
their overall objective, which is to serve, calm, and protect society. They are accountable for
preserving stability and order. We can guarantee long-term peace and development by
preventing, detecting, and investigating crime, protecting persons and property, and maintaining
public order and safety.
I'll use instances from Missouri, our state, to illustrate how certain organizations combat
police brutality nationwide. An extension of Hands Up United, The Books & Breakfast strives to
provide a venue that encourages conversation about social justice and the improvement of
education in African-American communities. Dedicated to reducing injustice, Hands Up United
promotes more political and economic education for people of color. Local NAACP Chapters are
a wonderful source for staying up to date on current affairs and learning how to continue taking
part in the fight to eradicate the scourge of police brutality that terrorizes the Black community,
to provide one national example. Another national example is Black Youth Project 100, whose
primary objectives are to improve leadership development, direct action organizing and
education in order to secure justice and freedom for all Black people, ’You've been outraged.
You've been saddened. You've been frustrated. Now get involved" (Davis, 2020)
Police violence causes emotional trauma unlike that brought on by other sorts of
violence, which has disastrous results for the populations most affected. According to the
survey, Black, Latino, Indigenous, and sexual minority communities are more likely to have
specific mental health conditions and are also at a higher risk of dying at the hands of police.
What distinguishes police brutality in America from most other forms of violence is the history of
state-enforced practices that permitted cruel, unusual, and inhumane punishment of those
thought to be from so-called "dangerous classes," particularly Blacks. The use of excessive and
fatal force against members of these communities was previously permitted under laws that
discriminated against people of color and LGBT people, such as sodomy and Jim Crow laws.
Conflict Theory Application
Conflict theorists think that use of force or the prospect of use of force is the primary
force holding unequal society together. The gap between social classes and the volume of
violent crime in a quickly developing area are two elements linked to police brutality. (D. Jacobs
and D. Britt). The killing of George Floyd is a part of a pattern of brutality and misbehavior on
the part of the police that all too frequently results in homicide.
Sociologists look into the relationships between inequality, class, race, and the issue of
police brutality. Numerous investigations on police interactions with residents have shown that
there are regional tendencies in how police behave. Poorer communities are more likely than
■wealthier ones to deploy punitive policing. "Michael Brown's death, along with the social unrest
following the recent killings of Blacks at the hands of the police, have driven issues of race,
justice, and policing to the forefront of the American conscience." (Gabbing et al, 2019).
Even though academics have explored a range of ideas to account for Blacks'
perceptions of and interactions with the police, there are still substantial gaps in our
understanding of race, gender, and policing. First, there has been a greater focus on how race,
class gender, and criminality intersect. Numerous studies on the plight of Black men and how
violence, which has disastrous results for the populations most affected. According to the
survey, Black, Latino, Indigenous, and sexual minority communities are more likely to have
specific mental health conditions and are also at a higher risk of dying at the hands of police.
What distinguishes police brutality in America from most other forms of violence is the history of
state-enforced practices that permitted cruel, unusual, and inhumane punishment of those
thought to be from so-called "dangerous classes," particularly Blacks. The use of excessive and
fatal force against members of these communities was previously permitted under laws that
discriminated against people of color and LGBT people, such as sodomy and Jim Crow laws.
Conflict Theory Application
Conflict theorists think that use of force or the prospect of use of force is the primary
force holding unequal society together. The gap between social classes and the volume of
violent crime in a quickly developing area are two elements linked to police brutality. (D. Jacobs
and D. Britt). The killing of George Floyd is a part of a pattern of brutality and misbehavior on
the part of the police that all too frequently results in homicide.
Sociologists look into the relationships between inequality, class, race, and the issue of
police brutality. Numerous investigations on police interactions with residents have shown that
there are regional tendencies in how police behave. Poorer communities are more likely than
■wealthier ones to deploy punitive policing. "Michael Brown's death, along with the social unrest
following the recent killings of Blacks at the hands of the police, have driven issues of race,
justice, and policing to the forefront of the American conscience." (Gabbing et al, 2019).
Even though academics have explored a range of ideas to account for Blacks'
perceptions of and interactions with the police, there are still substantial gaps in our
understanding of race, gender, and policing. First, there has been a greater focus on how race,
class gender, and criminality intersect. Numerous studies on the plight of Black men and how
the police treat them have demonstrated that minority children who reside in underserved
metropolitan areas are vulnerable to aggressive policing techniques. Although Black men report
more dissatisfaction with the discriminatory treatment by police than Whites and minority
females, it is assumed that young Black men are the main targets of unfavorable police
contacts. Black women also have negative experiences with the police and are not immune
from harmful police encounters. Black women's experiences may negatively affect how they
respond to unjustified police stops. Despite the fact that research indicates that impoverished
communities of color are disproportionately subject to stops and searches, disrespectful acts,
and the use of excessive force, less is known about how gender affects reactions to contacts
■with the police that are unwelcome. Police contacts with the public are ecologically structured,
according to study, because they vary between middle-class and affluent neighborhoods and
poor regions, aggressive enforcement methods are disproportionately used against
impoverished Black people in poor neighborhoods. (Cobbinaetal., 2019)
Influences on the public's perception of African Americans and the police include
victimization incidents. According to research (Hanson et al., 2010), victims of crime and victims
of citizens being systematically used as tools of repression, abuse, and/or harassment. Still
considering the pcrwer relations that lead to police brutality. All the stories I've read have one
thing in common: one group always exerts pressure on the other (either physically or
psychologically, using techniques like inverted psychology). In this particular instance, the police
frequently have an impact on people of various racial, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
A power dynamic need not always be bad or unfavorable. Hoover, it can be used to
demonstrate the superiority of some groups over others, and the weaker ones are powerless to
overcome the stronger ones. This indicates that there is an imbalance of power, demonstrating
that the police have power over the general public.
People who have had a negative experience with the police may become less trusting of
other institutions. This decreased willingness to seek out mental health services and other types
metropolitan areas are vulnerable to aggressive policing techniques. Although Black men report
more dissatisfaction with the discriminatory treatment by police than Whites and minority
females, it is assumed that young Black men are the main targets of unfavorable police
contacts. Black women also have negative experiences with the police and are not immune
from harmful police encounters. Black women's experiences may negatively affect how they
respond to unjustified police stops. Despite the fact that research indicates that impoverished
communities of color are disproportionately subject to stops and searches, disrespectful acts,
and the use of excessive force, less is known about how gender affects reactions to contacts
■with the police that are unwelcome. Police contacts with the public are ecologically structured,
according to study, because they vary between middle-class and affluent neighborhoods and
poor regions, aggressive enforcement methods are disproportionately used against
impoverished Black people in poor neighborhoods. (Cobbinaetal., 2019)
Influences on the public's perception of African Americans and the police include
victimization incidents. According to research (Hanson et al., 2010), victims of crime and victims
of citizens being systematically used as tools of repression, abuse, and/or harassment. Still
considering the pcrwer relations that lead to police brutality. All the stories I've read have one
thing in common: one group always exerts pressure on the other (either physically or
psychologically, using techniques like inverted psychology). In this particular instance, the police
frequently have an impact on people of various racial, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
A power dynamic need not always be bad or unfavorable. Hoover, it can be used to
demonstrate the superiority of some groups over others, and the weaker ones are powerless to
overcome the stronger ones. This indicates that there is an imbalance of power, demonstrating
that the police have power over the general public.
People who have had a negative experience with the police may become less trusting of
other institutions. This decreased willingness to seek out mental health services and other types
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Subject
Sociology