One answer to my previous question about 7 million americans in jail brought a cop out to answer who said only judges are to blame for this travesty. But I know in my town the cops harrass anyone they want, arrest anyone they want and basically are thugs with permits to carry. Cops are the ones responsible for arresting people which is the first most powerful step toward putting us in jail If they aren't responsible for all the arrests who is?
2006-11-30 00:45:34 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
Police also lie in court!!!
2006-11-30 00:53:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anarchy99 7 · 1⤊ 7⤋
You are correct....sort of. Police arrest, but they alone imprison no one. An arrest is a way of detaining a person while a criminal case is investigated. Once a person is arrested, typically they have to be taken before a judge with 72 hours for a hearing to see if there is enough evidence to justify detaining a suspect. After that the police are pretty much out of the picture. It is up to the courts to decide what a person's fate is from there.
As far as cops harassing folks, yeah they do that. Teenagers and young adults are a target. Basically because by nature they are rebellious as they begin to feel there way in the adult world. When I was a kid, all you had to do was have long hair to get jacked up by the police. If you show a little respect, they mess with you a bit and they go on their way. Have an attitude and you get to ride in the back of a sticky patrol car. Fair? Not really. But most things in life aren't................
2006-11-30 09:32:42 · answer #2 · answered by tallerfella 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
That's me you are talking about.
First of all I'm a Canadian, and our incarceration rates are almost as high as yours. I think our incarceration rates of young people are/were actually higher than yours.
In Canada we have instituted a new Youth Criminal Justice Act that has provided an alternative to incarceration for many youth. The number of incarcerated youth has dropped significantly. This was legislation brought in by the government that gave the judges alternatives to incarceration. Perhaps judges should have more alternatives other than jail (perhaps more meaningful consequences for non-violent offences?).
In Canada there is a very high percentage of Native Canadian people in jail (as a percentage of total population). Does that mean that Natives are bad? No.
Does that mean that police "pick on" natives. No.
It is an indication of the deep rooted social problems developed over a century. Once again, proper social intervention and alternatives to incarceration are in order. This is all our responsibility not just the police.
Good thought provoking questions by the way.
2006-11-30 09:05:47 · answer #3 · answered by joeanonymous 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Whatever happened to personal responsibility? The only person to blame for being arrested and thrown in jail was the person committing the crime. To engage in criminal behavior is a choice made by the criminal, not by the police who arrest, the prosecutor who files charges, the jury who finds them guilty, or the judge who issues sentence.
2006-11-30 10:22:22 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You may not like my answer and that is ok. It is my opinion. You can it or leave it as you please. Please read all of it before you blow me off. Thanks
Police officers arrest someone but the person who decides if a case goes to trial is the DA. My husband and friends often complain about the DA office in our county and how they plea bargain with a criminal and case doesn't go to trial.
I will admit some officers do investigate some people more than others especially if there is reason. IE Drugs, murder, theft
While there may be bad officers in some departments, I do not believe it is fair to say all officers are this way. My husband and his friends work very hard at being honorable people.
If an officer is harassing people in your town then file a complaint with the state police for investigation. I also understand a complaint can be filed with the FBI for investigation.
2006-11-30 09:10:12 · answer #5 · answered by pj_gal 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The police only investigate and arrest. The courts and juries decided who goes to jail or not. If there wasn't enough evidence against a defendant to prove beyond a "reasonable doubt" that the defendant was guilty they wouldn't go to jail.
So, even if your scenario is correct, the police are just arresting anyone they want, the arrested wouldn't get jail time if there wasn't evidence showing they did something wrong.
2006-11-30 08:54:34 · answer #6 · answered by Ruth B 3 · 7⤊ 1⤋
The police have better things to do than arrest everybody they come across all day. If there were no case then the judge would not put them in jail.
You seem a bit confused; either that or there isn't enough information in your question. Try to present only the question and not so many opinions.
2006-11-30 09:02:41 · answer #7 · answered by marie 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Police can arrest anyone for only a short period of time! Only justice can put him in jail for long time!
2006-11-30 08:54:40 · answer #8 · answered by nikiforosfokas 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
usually when cops arrest someone they arent kept in for that long. the 7 million people in the statistics are probably in prisons and were sent there by judges
2006-11-30 08:53:20 · answer #9 · answered by redneckking_99 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Yes police are the ones who take you to jail and make the initial complaint but you have rights guaranteed by the 4th amendment. Yes police do harass and that is why the government has developed a plan to stop racial profiling.
2006-11-30 09:09:25 · answer #10 · answered by khallman2000 1 · 1⤊ 3⤋
first and foremost, the citizenry, if people didn't commit so many crimes, so many people wouldn't be put in jail.
then the politicians, if in their moral crusading they didn't make so many acts, that caused no pain to people, no suffering to people, no loss to people and no damage to property (I'm thinking largely of narcotics and prostitution here) there wouldn't be so many crimes to be commited and hence so many people in jail.
The above takes us back to the citizenry who in their moralistic zeal vote for and encourage the politicians who pass these laws and keep them on the books.
Police deserve some blame here too, you are right, many are over-zealous, some even plant evidence, in vary rare cases some are even out-right racist, although nearly all are agiest.
You can't forget the prosecutors who care more about their convinction rates than justice.
juries who take their fears of being victims and their prejudicies against those acused of being criminals into the deliberation rooms.
there are more but my fingers grow tired....
But all that said, I still say that most of blame for so may people being jail, is on the criminals, for commiting so many crimes.
2006-11-30 08:58:30 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋