Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Stopping Police Crimes in a Prison Nation

The proposed goal of the breakout was “to explore the inextricable link between police crimes and the prison industrial complex, which starts with school to prison pipeline and to find ways in which the movement to stop police crimes can augment the movement against mass incarceration.”

Co­‐facilitators: Joseph “Jazz” Hayden and Daryle Brown co­‐facilitators

Resolutions of the working group:

1. Modify the way confessions can be obtained and used, eliminating police confessions as evidence.

2. How to raise awareness of mental health issues and the effect on incarceration rates and community surveillance.

3. Improve police accountability to the community, police relations with the community, including community surveillance to document police activity.

4. Education on how to respond to police stops and arrests.

5.Enhance networking and communications of regional/local best practices for solutions.


Solutions/Actions to Address Goals

1. Confessions – 18USC242 (federal statute)

a. Research into other places where police confessions are not allowed
b. Design model legislation or policies to that can be tweaked for regional/local
c. Attack on various fronts with legislation or law suits
d. Develop a fact based media campaign, including competent street level spokespeople
e. Develop street level strategy

2. Mental Health

a. Recruit mental health expertise to quantify the issue and define demographics, particularly children/youth
i. Use public health students to investigate and write papers on this subject
b. Develop economic models focused on life time supports versus incarceration expense
c. Develop policy models to launch in various locations
d. Develop national media campaign and recruit mental health/human interest spokespeople
i. Include investigation of mental health as it impacts post incarceration, families of the incarcerated
e. Develop street level strategy models

3. Improve Police Accountability

a. Police Surveillance
i. Work with Joseph Hayden to document the process of video surveillance of police that was developed to end Stop and Frisk in NY
ii. Build a model that can be shared with communications nationally
iii. Develop a media campaign and tools to support local communities in their efforts to monitor police work
b. Police Accountable
i. Research “non-­‐police” review boards and community satisfaction (Austin, TX for example)
ii. Develop models of elected and civilian police review boards to be shared nationally iii. Develop grassroots strategies for implantation

4. Education on Police Stops and Arrests

a. Develop a pocket guide (pdf) for national distribution
b. Use 411 pamphlet, document from (Austin, TX -­‐ Nelson Linder) as model
i. Don’t run . . .
ii. Don’t talk . . .
iii. Don’t smart off . . .
iv. Treat officer with respect . . .

5. Enhanced Network and Communications

a. Develop a Google group to allow interested organizations to keep in touch and monitor progress on issues

To become involved in this working group:

Use the working groups sign-up form to select groups to get involved in.  

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