Thoughtful article about 911 reform from @voxdotcom. But it makes an empirical claim that made me scratch my head: Basically, it suggests that 911 calls account for half of all incidents where the police approach civilians.
Looking under the hood, I don't think that's right.
Here's the claim in the article. The implication is that half of "officer-civilian interactions" that might conceivably end in "aggression" or "violence" are "the result of citizen-requested police services, usually through an emergency call number."
But that's not what the cited source says. It takes as its denominator people who had *any* contact with law enforcement... including *calling* 911.
People who call the police account for half of all law enforcement interactions.
People who are "approached" make up the other.
The cited report only surveyed civilians, so it never asked police departments "how many of your officer-initiated interactions with civilians are based on 911 calls?" And when it asked civilians if the police gave a reason for a stop, "investigating 911 call" wasn't an option.
So, the report doesn't actually tell us the extent to which 911 calls drive officer-initiated interactions with civilians.
But in a different study, researchers observed 442 officer shifts (spanning 3,536 hours) and coded every minute. "Patrol" by far took the lion's share (26%). In fact, "crime calls" didn't even merit their own category, but instead got lumped in with all "crime incidents" (10%).
All of which is to say that while 911 reform is surely important, it might not be the place to "start" if we "want to fix policing." vox.com/2020/8/10/2134…
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Today we are publicly launching the Institute to End Mass Incarceration. I hope you'll take some time to read about our mission, our approach to our work, and our incredible (and growing) team.
We're here to work with, strategize with, brainstorm with, and support the many existing communities and leaders already deep in the essential work of decarceration. endmassincarceration.org
We're also thrilled to have amazing fellows on our team:
Next week, we are launching @_inquest_, a platform for bold, decarceral ideas. We're kicking it off with a series of panels from folks with a wide range of experience and expertise (see thread). Come learn more about Inquest and join our “decarceral brainstorm.”
First, on Tuesday, @premaldharia, @cristianafarias and I will share how Inquest came to be, what we hope it will do, & how it will bridge disciplines & experiences to create a catalytic space for idea-sharing & change. Reg: bit.ly/3BviUFO
Also Tuesday, @rachaelbedard, @dawnrHarrington, Adeola Ogunkeyede & @premaldharia discuss how people from across fields — organizers, lawyers, medical doctors — must work together to understand and address mass incarceration, root and branch. Register: bit.ly/3iDpAJB
This morning we went to court to challenge the Biden administration's continuation of a widely condemned policy fueling mass incarceration in Washington, DC.
Hours earlier, 87 former federal prosecutors wrote to AG Garland to demand that he end this racially unjust tactic.
👀👇🏾
“I’m shocked that more than 100 days in we’re still in an active appeal on something that is so opposed to what the Biden administration claims it’s about.” @tobmer, Dir. of @Harvard_Law Project on Predatory Student Lending washingtonpost.com/education/2021…
This is a really thoughtful and well written piece from @teamtrace on the Biden administration's hugely disappointing decision to continue a Trump-era policy that is fueling mass incarceration in DC. Well worth a read! Some highlights include... thetrace.org/2021/04/channi…
Calling out the DOJ's misguided and hypocritical argument that longer sentences will deter crime:
"According to the Justice Department’s own research...prison sentences, particularly long ones, are unlikely to deter crime and in some cases may have an opposite effect."
Noting that the policy is unsurprisingly NOT reducing crime in the District:
"In 2019, D.C.’s homicides rose another 4 percent despite the new initiative, according to Washington Metropolitan Police statistics, surpassing a recent high in 2015."