The Appeal — Civil Society Issues — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Civil Society Issues

Many issues that are primary drivers of mass incarceration cannot be remedied through government solutions alone. Issues such as broken families and mental health, both forever altered by over criminalization, cannot be simply be repaired through legislation. Civil Society has the unique capability to address certain social issues that government cannot, or to address them more effectively than government can. This section also addresses issues in which over-policing attempts to fix issues that should be handled through the community.

Posts tagged The Appeal

Community Policing Is Not the Answer

“Proponents of community policing argue that embedding police, particularly in Black communities, can build trust and partnerships that would have changed my calculus, to call NYPD. But the strategy is flawed and has drawn resources away from communities that need it and instead directed them toward policing. Time has shown that community policing is merely an expensive attempt at public relations, after a long history of racialized police violence and injustice, and does little to reduce crime or police violence.“

The Appeal

December 2, 2019

Police-Community TrustPhillip ReevesDecember 2, 2019The Appeal, Community PolicingComment

There's a Pattern of Police Unions Attacking People Who Call for Criminal Justice Reform, Especially When They Are Black

“Nationally, the FOP represents 330,000 members across 2,200 lodges. Local unions often make political endorsements of elected officials, as the South Bend, Indiana, FOP did in 2011 with then mayoral candidate and now Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg. But most candidates in the Democratic field have released criminal justice reform plans than include proposals to strengthen police accountability for misconduct. In 2016, the national FOP endorsed President Trump, who has championed federal prison and sentencing reforms, but has also advocated for nationwide expansion of stop-and-frisk policing. The tactic led to disproportionate stops and arrests of Black and Latinx people in Trump’s hometown of New York City.“

The Appeal

November 27, 2019

Police-Community TrustPhillip ReevesNovember 27, 2019The Appeal, Fraternal Order of Police, Malcolm JenkinsComment

Exploiting New York City's Chinatown Killings to Attack Bail Reform

“The New York Post used a tragedy to target bail reform activists, rather than point to the challenges of a failed mental health system and poverty.“

The Appeal

October 21, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesOctober 21, 2019The Appeal, New York Post, New York City, ChinatownComment

Assuming Guilt While Reporting on Mass Arrests

“The headlines and ledes of these reports leave no doubt that those accused were guilty. How, one might ask, would these media outlets know all 355 people arrested were “violent criminals” before they’ve had a trial, much less been convicted of anything? Only 41 of the arrests disclosed by prosecutors were for violent offenses (22 for assault, eight for homicide, six for sexual offenses, four for sexual assault, and one for arson). The rest are either unknown or for drugs, burglary, failure to register as a sex offender, or weapons possession.“

The Appeal

September 3, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesSeptember 3, 2019The AppealComment

Boston Globe Accused of 'Willie Horton'-Style Fearmongering

“The 19 signatories are advocating for the practice of two interrelated standards: the inclusion of fact-based context in all local journalism and a heightened sensitivity to the role that local media plays in the politics of criminal justice policies. They say the Globe practiced neither in its recent article. Rather than scrutinizing the statements made by Leary and other critics of Rollins, the university professors say the paper acted as a bullhorn for them.“

The Appeal

July 12, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesJuly 12, 2019The Appeal, Boston Globe, Rachael RollinsComment

Media Frame: A 'War on Cops' Narrative without Evidence

“But the article by Emily Shapiro and the social posts promoting it made a much larger—and unsubstantiated—claim: that these unrelated killings are part of a national “trend” of violence directed toward the police. A tweet by ABC News sharing the article stated: “Four police officers fatally shot in the U.S. this week—part of what one expert calls a disturbing ‘multi-year’ trend of violence toward police.”“

The Appeal

July 2, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesJuly 2, 2019The AppealComment

Media Frame: Time to Ban Ride-Along Police TV

“Mass movements to reform the police, led most notably by Black Lives Matter, are beginning to question our culture’s default position of police deference. Why not extend that same scrutiny to police ride-along shows, which interfere in legal cases with far-reaching consequences, threaten lives, and overwhelmingly target poor people and people of color? In fact, local lawmakers everywhere should go further and ban these shows outright.“

The Appeal

June 24, 2019

Media CoveragePhillip ReevesJune 24, 2019The Appeal, CopsComment

The Appeal Podcast: The Backlash Against Expanding Voting Rights

“States throughout the U.S. have recently expanded voting rights to millions of people with felony records previously barred from participating in elections. After a brief moment of celebration, two of them, Iowa and Florida, are now experiencing backlash from Republican lawmakers advocating for policies that would curtail those rights. This week, we are joined by The Appeal’s Kira Lerner to discuss the hurdles these movements still face and the forces pushing back against the wave of increased enfranchisement.“

The Appeal

March 7, 2019

Felon DisenfranchisementPhillip ReevesMarch 7, 2019The AppealComment

Iowa Moves Toward Expanding Voting Rights. But It May Require a 'Modern Day Poll Tax'

“Reynolds has personal experience with the criminal justice system that has made her vocal about her belief in second chances. In 2000, almost two decades before she would become the first female governor of Iowa, she was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. It was her second offense—she had been charged with the same crime the year before—but she pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to pay a $1,500 fine and serve 12 months of informal probation.“

The Appeal

February 7, 2019

Felon DisenfranchisementPhillip ReevesFebruary 7, 2019The Appeal, IowaComment

NYPD Commander's Text Messages Show how the Quota Systems Persists

“But six NYPD officers who reviewed the messages told The Appeal that such language is typical of the new, less explicit methods supervisors use to enforce an unofficial quota system today. “

The Appeal

December 12, 2018

Police-Community Trust, PersonalismPhillip ReevesDecember 12, 2018The Appeal, NYPD, New York CityComment

Ohio State Rep: If Police tase or shoot a child, she probably acted 'stupid' or was 'a punk'

“Becker also addressed police shootings in his newsletter. If his child were shot by police, he wrote, ‘rather than blaming the cop, I’d be blaming myself and endlessly soul searching to figure out how I failed as a parent and why my kid grew up to be a punk.’ He added, ‘Based on the evidence of what I see on television, it often times appears to me that justice was delivered to the dead punk’.“

The Appeal

September 14, 2018

Police Violence, PersonalismPhillip ReevesSeptember 18, 2018The Appeal, OhioComment

In New York, Most Parolees Can Vote--But Many County Websites Say They Can't

“But a review by The Appeal found that notice of the governor’s message had not filtered down to the state’s more than 50 county-level Board of Elections websites, well past the Aug. 19 deadline to register to vote in Thursday’s state primary election.“

The Appeal

September 12, 2018

Felon DisenfranchisementPhillip ReevesSeptember 15, 2018The Appeal, New YorkComment

Defund the Baltimore Police

"A former Baltimore cop questions how a department with a nearly half-billion-dollar budget that is riven by rampant corruption and brutality, bloated overtime spending, and unaccounted for patrol officers can continue to justify its existence"

The Appeal

August 15, 2018

Police Violence, Police-Community TrustAnthony BradleyAugust 16, 2018The Appeal, Baltimore

The Baltimore Police's 'Summer Surge' Scam

"In a city whose citizens and police department have a contentious relationship, the militarized rhetoric of a “surge” designed to “disrupt” and “dismantle” will just trap the department in a loop of badly ineffective, biased policing."

The Appeal

June 29, 2018

OvercriminalizationAnthony BradleyJuly 23, 2018Baltimore, Maryland, Police, Overcriminalization, The Appeal

Responses to Violence Must Move Beyond Policing

"Responses operating outside the institution of policing and in the interest of the material well-being of the people are needed. This means not relying on police to solve conflict or social problems but instead pushing to divest funding from them and putting those funds into education, mental health, and other resources for the places we live."

The Appeal

June 19, 2018

OvercriminalizationAnthony BradleyJuly 23, 2018Police, Violence, Surveillance, Diversion, The Appeal