Slide 2- Notes quiz

PRIVATIZATION AND PLURALIZATION

• A significant shift in policing occurred since the 1970s, marked by the growth of private policing.
• The number of private security guards now exceeds public officers.
• Private security guards have limitations; they cannot use force and have higher legal liabilities compared to public officers.

POLICING MENTAL HEALTH

• Most violent crimes are committed by individuals known to the victim, not strangers experiencing mental crises.
• Violent crimes involving people with mental illnesses receive greater media attention, possibly due to unpredictability.
• The unpredictability of these events leads to both wanting to understand and fear surrounding mental health and related crimes.
• Police often deal with groups experiencing mental health or substance misuse issues.

DE-INSTITUTIONALIZATION

• The 1970s saw a shift in the treatment of individuals with mental illnesses, with the closure of mental institutions.
• This led to an increase in the problems police had to address.

DEALING WITH PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESSES

• Public safety is a key justification for police interactions, encompassing preventing harm to oneself and others.
• Maintaining a sense of order within public spaces.
• Crime is another justification, encompassing managing situations where crime is committed.

POLICING AND ZERO TOLERANCE

• Zero tolerance policing policies aimed to reduce crime.
• While crime rates fell in some cities that implemented these policies, other measures might have played a role.
• These policies often disproportionately impacted marginalized groups.

POLICE CULTURE

• Police forces have their own cultures, separate from wider society.
• A bureaucracy with hierarchy and roles.
• Historically, policing was seen as an occupation dominated by men.
• Violence is unique to police.

INSTITUTIONAL RACISM

• Racism exists within institutions, not only amongst individuals.
• Institutional bias may manifest as disparate sentencing outcomes for different groups.

POLICE DEVIANCE AND CRIMINALITY

• Their power and authority grants them many opportunities to engage in misconduct and be exempt from punishment
• Investigative processes often rely on testimonies and confessions for confirmation.

VISIBILITY AND LEGITIMACY

• Police are increasingly subject to public scrutiny due to readily available cameras.
• The legitimacy of police forces is influenced by various factors, including public perception.
• The relationship between police and the public is affected by several factors, with increasing public scrutiny impacting this.

HISTORICAL ORIGINS AND CONTINUITIES

• The term "police" has evolved, originating from Greek political systems to current policing models.
• Modern policing emerged in the 20th century to address public order concerns.
• Policing's historical roots trace its foundations but is not "new" in terms of controlling people.

MODERN POLICING

• Early 20th-century policing emphasized addressing crime and wrongdoing, with police forces created specifically for this purpose.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Legitimacy in policing (when people understand and accept the existence and actions of the police).
• A critique of policing in terms of its historical origins and impacts on society with legitimacy/de-legitimation.

UNENVEN POLICING

• Policing often unevenly addresses issues and often focuses on specific problematic behaviors or groups.
• Historically, this uneven application affected marginalized groups, such as people with mental illnesses, immigrants, and indigenous populations.

PROTEST/PUBLIC ORDER POLICING

• Historically, police officers have been tasked with managing and responding to protests, demonstrating the role of police in public order maintenance.
• Policing varies across contexts; different types of policing occur depending on the context.
• The concept of policing in terms of different circumstances.

POLICING CANADA

• The Mounties have historically been a prominent symbol of Canadian policing.
• There were two main types of policing in Canada in the 1800s (municipal and federal).
• The role of municipal police forces is to serve and protect within a specific geographic area.