Enhancing the Community Relations Service Arsenal: A Restorative Justice Solution for Community Conflicts with Local Law Enforcement That Have A Race-Relations Basis

Authors

David B. Rabbani, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Abstract

This Note proposes that restorative justice should be incorporated by the CRS to promote fairness and to foster a change in the definition of success for the agency to include more permanent and inspiring solutions that have the potential to prevent conflict in other parts of the country. Part A of Section II provides background on the shooting of Michael Brown and the reaction in both Ferguson and the U.S. in general along with perceptions and facts about race-relations in Ferguson. Part B of Section II focuses on the CRS and its creation, history, and methods. Part C of Section II briefly summarizes the legal issues relevant to this Note. Section III first critiques current CRS policy, then introduces and analyzes restorative justice applicability to community conflicts with local law enforcement that have a race-relations basis. Section IV proposes that the CRS increase its effectiveness by including restorative justice as one of its ADR methods. The background and recent tragic events in Ferguson, Missouri along with suggestions for how to implement the proposal of this Note are included as a recent example of community conflicts with local law enforcement that have a race relations basis.

Disciplines

Criminal Law | Criminal Procedure | Dispute Resolution and Arbitration | Law | Law and Society | Law Enforcement and Corrections

Recommended Citation

David B. Rabbani, Enhancing the Community Relations Service Arsenal: A Restorative Justice Solution for Community Conflicts with Local Law Enforcement That Have A Race-Relations Basis, 17 Cardozo J. Conflict Resol. 567 (2016).
Available at: https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cjcr/vol17/iss2/11