After falling steadily for decades, the rate of violent crime in the
United States rose again in 2015 and 2016. Interactions between citizens
and police too often end in violence. People are increasingly worried
about safety in their communities.
How should we ensure that Americans of every race and background are
treated with respect and fairness? What should we do to ensure that the
police have the support they need to fairly enforce the law? To what
degree do racial and other forms of bias distort the justice system?
What should we do as citizens to help reduce violence of all kinds in
our communities and the nation as a whole?
How should communities increase safety while at the same time ensuring
justice? This issue guide is a framework for citizens to work through
these important questions together. It offers three different options
for deliberation, each rooted in different, widely shared concerns and
different ways of looking at the problem. The resulting conversation may
be difficult, as it will necessarily involve tensions between things
people hold deeply valuable, such as a collective sense of security,
fair treatment for everyone, and personal freedom. No one option is the
"correct" one; each includes drawbacks and trade-offs that we will have
to face if we are to make progress on this issue. They are not the only
options available. They are presented as a starting point for
deliberation.
About National Issues Forum
The National Issues Forums (NIF) is a network of organizations that
brings together citizens around the nation to talk about pressing social
and political issues of the day. Thousands of community organizations,
including schools, libraries, churches, civic groups, and others, have
sponsored forums designed to give people a public voice in the affairs
of their communities and their nation. For more information about NIF
and for additional publications, see NIF's website at www.nifi.org.
