Issues & Controversies: Featured Controversy—Police Brutality and Reform

Does Policing in the United States Need to Fundamentally Change?

SUPPORTERS ARGUE
Police officers regularly abuse, harass, and brutalize Americans, particularly black men, without repercussion. Demilitarization, body cameras, bias training, accountability for bad cops, and limits on when officers can use force are all necessary reforms. Governments should defund and downsize police departments and shift those resources to services that actually help the public.

OPPONENTS ARGUE
Reports of widespread police brutality are exaggerated, and charges of pervasive racism in law enforcement are simply unfounded. Only rarely do officers use excessive force, though they must often make instant decisions in tense situations. Defunding police departments will only endanger the impoverished, minority neighborhoods activists proclaim they want to protect.

Let your students review the facts and decide for themselves: Does policing in the United States need to fundamentally change? Be sure to check out Issues & Controversies’ complete and unbiased coverage of this divisive issue. Enhance the debate with the discussion questions, “By the Numbers” data, audio and video content, infographics, editorials, and newsfeed that are linked to the article.

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Issues & Controversies is a multimedia solution that helps students understand contemporary issues, assess different perspectives, distinguish fact from opinion, reach their own conclusions, and build critical thinking and writing skills. It features balanced pro/con articles and primary sources for current events, civics instruction, and class discussion.