News & Events
Posted on May 10, 2013LAPD Investigates Racial Discrimination and Profiling Claims After USC Party
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is under scrutiny for sending almost 80 officers to break up a college party largely attended by African American and Latino students at the University of Southern California (USC). Students maintain that LAPD officers used racially biased tactics in shutting down the party and held a protest on campus to condemn the response.
In response, the LAPD reached out to the USC community on Tuesday with a panel to discuss claims that students were racially profiled. Commander Bill Scott of the LAPD's South Bureau stated that the department takes this issue very seriously and an investigation is in progress. He also said that he does not want to see an incident like this repeated.
To read more, go to: http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2013/05/09/182175917/L-A-s-Police-Department-Faces-Allegations-Of-Racism
Posted on May 02, 2013
School Suspensions Predict Delinquency
In recent years, school suspensions have risen dramatically among both middle and high school students across the U.S. More than two million students were suspended in the 2009 academic year, with boys of color and children with disabilities at the highests risks of suspension.
Researchers have found that suspending children does not lead to better outcomes for students and instead leads to more drop- outs. A new report from the UCLA Civil Rights Project titled "Out of School and Off Track" suggests that especially for black and Latino students, suspensions are a predictor of delinquency once children drop out of school. The authors of this report not only describe the growing use of punitive disciplinary measures and their consequences in detail, but also provide research-based alternatives that produce better outcomes for students.
Daniel Losen, the lead author of the report talks more about his research on Tell Me More on NPR. To hear him speak, go to http://www.npr.org/2013/04/30/180065491/suspension-rates-shock-the-conscience-says-researcher
To read more about this new report and the work of the UCLA Civil Rights Project, go to http://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/news/press-releases/2013-press-releases/out-of-school-and-off-track-reports-detail-disturbing-and-increased-use-of-suspensions
Posted on April 17, 2013
Dr. Jack Glaser discusses Racial Profiling in Criminal Investigations on “The War Room”
Dr. Jack Glaser, a CPLE affiliated researcher and professor of public policy at UC Berkeley, studies racial stereotyping in criminal investigations. On "The War Room,” he talks about the use of racial profiling in law enforcement and how it may have been used on the day of the Boston Marathon bombing.
To see the video clip, please go to: http://current.com/shows/the-
Posted on April 12, 2013
Students Being Sent into Criminal Justice System for Minor Offenses and Misbehavior
For many years, thousands of school districts have contracted with local law enforcement for school resource officers- armed officers who are stationed in high schools, middle schools, and primary schools. Some larger school districts, like Houston’s, have even established their own police forces.
In the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut shootings, many districts are considering placing even more police officers or armed guards in schools. While some experts praise the idea, others state that the effectiveness of using police officers to deter crimes in schools is unclear. Youth advocates and judges state that the growth of school-based police units may even have great negative consequences including a surge in criminal charges for minor offenses and misbehavior, with black and Hispanic students and those with disabilities disproportionately affected.
Outcry from legal advocates over harsh punishments given to students is starting to make a difference. Jimmy L. Dotson, the chief of Houston’s 186-member school district police force, is one of several police leaders working to redefine the role of campus officers. Officers in Houston are now working to build ties with students, and have greatly reduced criminal citations and arrests.
To read more, go to : http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/12/education/with-police-in-schools-more-children-in-court.html and http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/04/11/us/20130412_JUVENILE.html
Posted on April 08, 2013
Department of Justice files consent decree to prevent racial discrimination in schools
The U.S. Department of Justice and public school administrators in Mississippi have filed a landmark consent decree to prevent and address racial disparities in student discipline in schools.
An investigation by the Justice Department found that black students in Meridian, Mississippi often received harsher disciplinary consequences than white students of the same age when the students engaged in comparable misbehavior, had similar disciplinary histories, and were even at the same school. School reform advocates argue that students who are suspended and expelled are more likely to fail, drop out of school, end up in jail or prison, and live in poverty.
If approved by the court, the proposed consent decree will provide students with support and interventions before excluding them from school; limit the use of disciplinary measures that remove students from the classroom; ensure that disciplinary consequences are fair and consistent; establish clear guidelines for when law enforcement intervention is appropriate; provide training for teachers and administrators to manage their schools in a safe, effective and positive manner; and build data-driven monitoring and accountability systems.
To read more go to: http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2013/04/04/news/795cce27-19d8-48c9-94a0-c7533513f2db.txt?viewmode=2