Question 1 Law
Colin Kaepernick, football player for the San Francisco 49ers, refuses to stand during the playing of the National Anthem before games. Why is he doing this and how does the First Amendment come into play? Does he raise a legitimate issue? What are the causes of the problem he protests? As a criminal justice policy maker, what, if anything, can be done to solve the problems being raised in his protest? Be as specific as possible in your response, particularly with regards to empirical support for your argument.
Question 2 Theory
Aggregate-level statistics show substantial racial disparities in rates of imprisonment in the United States. For example, consider the following figure, which shows the Black-White-Latino incarceration ratio in 2010. Describe three criminological theories that best explain this disparity. In your response, incorporate the causal mechanisms of each of the theories with the racial disparity in mind. In addition, incorporate two pieces of research for each of the theories that can be used to further explain the racial disparity.
Question 3 (Policy)
Recently, the issue of the police use of the tactic “stop, question, and frisk” has gained public scrutiny. In the landmark case Terry v. Ohio 392 U.S. 1 (1968), the United States Supreme Court carved out an exception to the 4th Amendment requirement that the police need probable cause to seize a person. The Court ruled that in limited circumstances, the police could seize people with a reasonable suspicion that criminality is afoot. Since this decision almost 50 years ago, the police have used it to stop people to investigate criminal activity. Discuss this ruling, and discuss the policy implications this ruling has on efficient and effective policing. A thorough answer would include a detailed discussion of the law and how it is applied by the police, a description of the current controversy and remedies sought to resolve the issue, and a discussion of the organizational issues this law raises for the police with respect to operations, community satisfaction, employee well-being, etc.
