The Realities Of Policing Diverse Communities From Minority And Police Perspectives

From the mid-1990s onwards, Ireland experienced unprecedented growth levels in immigration from around the world, prompted by the country’s changing economic fortunes. In turn, the people of a very small and conservative country saw the rapid development of diverse minorities in their midst, especially in the capital, Dublin. From a sociological point of view, such communities posed challenges for the national police force, An Garda Síochána. As part of a strategy to engage with rapidly changing demographics, An Garda Síochána launched the Garda Racial and Intercultural Office (GRIO). In 2001, the author of this book was invited to establish a framework, and practical measures to negotiate the non-discriminatory policing of Ireland’s changing society. The author proposed the appointment of Garda Ethnic Liaison Officers (ELOs) to liaise and reassure members of these new minorities, while developing the officers’ own deeper understanding of difference and vulnerability. These appointed ELOs were trained in cultural awareness and difference by the author, in conjunction with minority representatives, which in turn, influenced their thinking in the delivery of a non-discriminatory front-line police service. The role of the ELO makes the Irish police authorities one of the first in the world with specialist officers dedicated to building relations with minorities. This book has many lessons to offer sociologists, academics, criminologists, lawyers, social policymakers and police institutions dealing with the plight of refugees, asylum seekers, economic migrants and marginalised people the world over.

This insightful book examines the allegations against the professionalism, transparency, and integrity of law enforcement toward minority groups, from a global perspective. It addresses the challenges inherent in maintaining strong ties with members of the community, and draws attention to obstacles in ensuring public confidence and trust in rule of law institutions. Most importantly, the book provides insight into mechanisms and proposals for policy reform that would permit enhanced police-community partnership, collaboration and mutual respect. Acknowledging the consistency of this concern despite geographic location, ethnic diversity, and religious tolerance, this book considers controversial factors that have caused many groups and individuals to question their relationship with law enforcement. The book examines the context of police-community relations with contributed research from Nigeria, South Africa, Kosovo, Turkey, New Zealand, Mexico, Scandinavia and other North American and European viewpoints. It evaluates the roles that critical factors such as ethnicity, political instability, conflict, colonization, mental health, police practice, religion, critical criminology, socialism, and many other important aspects and concepts have played on perceptions of policing and rule of law. A valuable resource for law enforcement practitioners and researchers, policy makers, and students of criminal justice, Policing and Minority Communities: Contemporary Issues and Global Perspectives confronts crucial challenges and controversies in policing today with quantitative and qualitative research and practical policy recommendations.

Ethnography has a long history in the humanities and social sciences and has provided the base line in the field of police studies for over 60 years. We have recently witnessed a resurgence in ethnographic practice among police scholars, and this Handbook is a response to that revival. Students and academics are returning to the ethnography arena and the study of police in situ to explain the evocative worlds of the police. The list of ethnographic sites is vast and all have fed the rejuvenation of ethnographic endeavour. Together they suggest innovation, theoretical depth, broad geographical boundaries, multi-site experiments, and multi-disciplinarity, all of which are central to the exploration of police and policing in the twenty-first century. This Handbook encapsulates the revival of police ethnography by exploring its multidisciplinary field and cataloguing the ongoing ethnographic work. It offers an original and international contribution to the field of police studies and research methods, providing a comprehensive and overarching guide to police ethnography. We see the previous classics in every page and still note the influence of the early ethnographers. At the same time, we see the innovative breadth and diversity of these narratives. The aim of this Handbook is to highlight the mosaic that is police ethnography at a point in time and note with pleasure its contribution to the field once more. Ethnography may be messy, difficult, and at times uncooperative, but its results offer a unique insight into the perspectives of people and organisations that can hide in plain sight. An accessible and compelling read, this Handbook will provide a sound and essential reference source for academics, researchers, students, and practitioners engaged in police and criminal justice studies.

Attempts at developing ways in which the law can be enforced for the benefit of all, and in ways that respect the rights of all, have proved to be the greatest challenge in modern democracies. In the United States, this challenge has been particularly acute given the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the population to be policed in a society where individuals are guaranteed certain freedoms in a written constitution. "Policing and Minority Communities" addresses complex issues related to police/community relations in a multi-cultural society where the police are expected to enforce the law, serve the public and be governed by principles of legality, fairness, and equity. In "Policing and Minority Communities," Dr. Delores Jones-Brown and Dr. Karen Terry, along with other authors, examine the everyday interactions that lead to tensions between the police and members of minority communities. Particular attention is given to the role of race, ethnicity, and gender in police encounters. Recurrent problems existing between police and minority communities are examined from historical and contemporary perspectives. Most importantly, several innovative techniques, some of which have already proved successful, are suggested for bridging the gap between the two groups. "Policing and Minority Communities" is an edited work that provides a variety of perspectives on the issues surrounding the police and their interactions with minority communities, along with the impact and consequences of those interactions. The book is not one-sided. Its authors include both national and international practitioners and scholars. Among them are current and former police officers, defenseattorneys, prosecutors, police managers and trainers, and individuals with many years of experience conducting policing research. Each reader is guaranteed to learn something new about this controversial topic.

This guide for law enforcement officers in Ontario is intended to provide some understanding of the multicultural reality of policing in Canada and to lessen mistakes through cultural ignorance. Section one deals with key sociological terms, theories, terminology and concepts relating to race and ethnic issues. Section two discusses the pros and cons of the multicultural nature of Canadian society, and the trend towards a community policing model of enforcement. Part three gives a profile of seven minority groups providing a history, language, family, religion and heritage background for each to give police a better understanding of the community.

This book provides a unique insight into the lived realities of hate crime in Ireland and its treatment within the criminal justice system. The significance of the Irish case is contextualised within the European and global policy contexts and an overview of hate crime in Ireland, both north and south, and its differential treatment in each jurisdiction’s criminal justice system is offered. Presenting empirically grounded analyses of the experiences of commonly targeted identity groups in an Irish context, this study also draws upon their exposure to hate crime and challenges encountered in seeking redress. Combining theory, research and practice, this book represents legal, social, cultural and political concerns pertinent to understanding, preventing, deterring and combatting hate crime across Ireland. It incorporates a variety of perspectives on the hate crime paradigm and addresses many of the cutting-edge debates arising in the field of hate studies. Contributions from Irish and international academic researchers are complemented by applied pieces authored by practitioners and policy makers actively engaged with affected communities. This is a progressive and informed text which will be of great value to activists, policy makers and scholars of hate crime and criminal justice.

Intimate Partner Violence is a serious social problem affecting millions in the United States and worldwide. The image of violence enacted by a male aggressor to a female victim dominates public perceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV). This volume examines how this heteronormativity influences reporting and responding to partner violence when those involved do not fit the stereotype of a typical victim of IPV. Research and theory have helped us to understand power dynamics about heterosexual IPV; this book encourages greater attention to the unique issues and power dynamics of IPV in sexual minority populations. Divided into five distinct sections, chapters address research and theories associated with IPV, examining the similarities and differences of IPV within heterosexual and gender minority relationships. Among the topics discussed: Research methodology and scope of the problem Primary prevention and intervention of IPV among sexual and gender minorities Barriers to help-seeking among various populations Promoting outreach and advocacy Criminal justice response to IPV With recommendations for intervention and prevention, criminal justice response and policy, Intimate Partner Violence and the LGBT+ Community: Understanding Power Dynamics will be of use to students, researchers, and practitioners of psychology, criminal justice, and public policy.