Law enforcement
438 Articles
The New Jane Crow: Women’s Mass Incarceration
(Editor’s Note: This article is part of a special Just Security “Racing National Security” symposium edited by editorial board member Matiangai Sirleaf. The goal of…
Portland’s Pretext: Barr’s Long History Manipulating Law to Put Federal Forces on U.S. Streets
In a 2001 interview, Bill Barr boasted that he came up with the idea in 1989.
Congress Must Seize This Chance to Help Demilitarize Law Enforcement
A bipartisan Senate amendment would restrict the transfer of US military equipment to law enforcement, including items from bayonets to weaponized drones.
Black Security and the Conundrum of Policing
We are in a new phase of the long police reform debate. Over decades, opaque spending, police staffing practices, expansion of criminal codes, and other factors have made some…
Systemic Racist Police Brutality Shocks the Conscience of Humanity, but is it an International Crime?
(Editor’s note: To mark today’s 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia, Just Security is publishing two articles. In addition to this piece by Margaret deGuzman…
Less Lethal than Firearms, But Only if Used Appropriately
Sometimes, as in the shooting of Rayshard Brooks by an Atlanta law enforcement officer, deaths involve police use of firearms. But as the killing of George Floyd has also demonstrated,…
It’s Time to Stop the Use of Tear Gas Against Civilians
It was a clear day on June 1 in Washington, DC when thousands of people protesting racial injustice and police brutality, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, congregated…
![LEFT - The D.C. National Guard in camo uniforms, helmets, googles, and face masks stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as demonstrators [not seen in the photo] participate in a peaceful protest against police brutality and the death of George Floyd, on June 2, 2020 in Washington, DC. RIGHT - British troops patrol the streets of Belfast June 21, 2001 following fierce fighting the previous night in Ardoyne, a mostly Catholic area in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. They appear to be hiding behind a van.](https://i0.wp.com/www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/combo-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C438&ssl=1)
Northern Ireland’s Lessons for American Policing
Not that long ago, Americans would regularly go to Northern Ireland to offer advice on reforming the region’s notoriously repressive policing. Happily for Northern Ireland, and…
Why the Calls to Deploy Military Force in the US Protests Weren’t Surprising
Trump's and Cotton's rhetoric might be extreme, but the concepts they espouse are simply a culmination of a trend unfolding over at least 50 years.
Black Lives Matter Might Just Rescue American Democracy
The movement forces Americans to recognize and confront the deep and longstanding connection between racist and authoritarian violence.
The UN Should Establish a Commission of Inquiry on Systemic Racism and Law Enforcement in the United States
A strong call from the U.N. Special Expert on Contemporary Forms of Racism, professor E. Tendayi Achiume.
Statement of Homeland and National Security Leaders
Former Republican and Democratic cabinet members and other senior officials speak out about protests, use of the military, racial justice, and policing.