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Seminar addresses issues in criminal justice system
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
The criminal-justice system has systemic flaws, imperfections and built-in biases, so what remedies should be administered to address and fix those problems?
That was one of the main issues a group of panelists discussed during a seminar Wednesday in Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center.
An estimated 80 students and others attended the two-hour gathering titled “What is Wrong with Our Criminal Justice System?” which was part of Black History Month.
Comprising the panel were Kenneth King, a longtime community activist and former radio broadcaster; Atty. Patricia Wagner, chairwoman of YSU’s criminal-justice department; Christian Onwudiwe, a criminal-justice professor; and Mayor John A. McNally.
Victor Wan-tatah, chairman of YSU’s Pan African Studies program, moderated the session.
King, who’s also known as “Brother K,” provided a historical perspective, noting that it had been difficult to gauge “good or bad” officers who have operated under oppressive systems that have allowed blacks to be lynched and discriminated against.
“Sometimes, police forces were in sympathy with white mob violence” that started around the 1870s, King said, adding that early policing in the late 1700s and early 1800s began largely as slave patrols.
He also praised the number of mainly young people who have protested the recent high-profile shootings of black men by white police officers, such as the Aug. 9, 2014, killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. Their persistence has kept the conversation about the problem in the forefront and has led to President Barack Obama’s addressing it, King continued.
Nevertheless, the justice system “needs a new paradigm and needs to be reformatted,” King said, though he predicted that it would be a long process.
Onwudiwe noted that police commissions dating to about 1925 have looked at such systemic problems, which often have led to reforms. He also advocated for more community-policing efforts.
Too often, however, grand juries decline to indict police officers suspected of wrongdoing because prosecutors who are in charge of putting forth evidence usually are too closely aligned with law enforcement, he continued.
Also brought up was a concern about possible segregation in the Youngstown Police Department’s ranks. McNally said that many longtime officers have worked well with one another for decades “and don’t look at skin color.”
The mayor added that he hopes to have in place by April a community-policing unit of eight veteran officers who will cover all seven wards.
“We’re trying to relay to the new police officers that much of their training is in communicating with the public,” McNally explained.
Wagner noted that officers are required to receive training in ethics, use-of-force policies, crisis-intervention techniques and human relations. They also are taught to handle adverse situations fairly and legally, Wagner said, adding that she also wants to see more funding for public defenders who often represent those who are indigent.
The panelists also said they support the Innocence Project, a public-policy organization that works to exonerate those wrongfully convicted and reform the criminal-justice system to prevent such injustices.