Law Enforcement and Law

¶ … Judeo-Christian perspective, there are two forms of law, the law of government and the law of God. Government plays a role in the daily lives of most people. From how to drive a car to what can be bought and sold, the government aims to protect the general public from domestic and foreign problems. Whether or not that means the wellbeing of all or the wellbeing of some is left to interpretation. God according to Christianity, passed down guidelines to help humanity flourish and grow.

The Ten Commandments is just one of several instances when humans witnessed the law of God. Yet in today's society, amidst a multicultural backdrop, the law of God has been overshadowed by the law of government. And the law of government is not one that instills good principles among the public, but rather seems to favor punishing those that do not fit the idea of 'American'. Race and ethnicity have been issues within America for centuries.

From racial profiling to disproportionate representation of blacks in the prison and court system, America has had to deal with recurring problems of race and ethnicity in law enforcement. "Race and ethnicity are only buzzwords that people use when they talk about multiculturalism. After all, neither race nor ethnicity determines a person's values, attitudes, or behavior. Just as there is no uniquely identifiable 'white culture' in American society" (Schmalleger, 2007, p. 27).

While there is no uniquely identifiable 'black culture' in American society, there are still many law enforcement agencies that racially profile and identify specific cultural traits to black people, reneging the concept of a diverse and tolerant modern society. If one were to examine Biblical text, one would see that after God established law post-flood (Genesis 9:6), such guidelines were meant to maintain order and civility, and most importantly, justice. The law of God has two main elements of human nature as its basis.

The first is humans are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). The second is, humans were granted ability to exercise rationality and judgment. Rationality is a way humans attempt to make sense of the unknown. However, rationality dissipates when improper judgment is exercised. In government, from police officers to judges, there is a constant attempt to rationalize and judge what is right and wrong or whether something a person did constitutes punishment or not.

Within a multicultural society, this can at times be clouded by preconceived notions and stereotypes that could lead to improper action against a target population. That target population is and has been blacks. Blacks have experienced increase incarceration and arrests than whites in America. Such improper action stems from cases ruled over by United States Supreme Court. Through the lens of individual rights vs. public order, the Supreme Court passed laws that favor the increased incarceration of blacks in America to 'protect' the American public (i.e. Hobbs Act).

"The U.S. Supreme Court is very powerful and its decisions have far-reaching consequences" (Schmalleger, 2007, p. 21). Taylor v. United States for example, allows law enforcement to keep criminals (mainly minorities) in federal prison cells for longer periods than in the past (Pane & Rocco, 2014). Blacks already face a high recidivism rate due to racial profiling and increased police presence in areas blacks live and frequent. To have the American government work towards keeping blacks longer in prison continually supports the idea that there is injustice in law enforcement.

In a 2016 article on human rights and anti-discrimination laws, the American government has tried in vain to protect multiculturalism from the negative side of law enforcement but has done little to curb injustice. These 'claims of culture' have so far been addressed with remarkable inconsistency, leading to popular fears of unlimited normative pluralism and targeted legislative measures. Compounding such controversies, philosophical approaches to multiculturalism have mostly been concerned with policy and offered vague or distorted portrayals of judicial challenges (Dupont, 2016, p. 289).

Those working in the American government and those studying Criminal Justice are aware of the injustices faced by blacks within the various areas of law enforcement. Yet, the laws and rulings continue to favor such unjust behavior. Although progress was made in landmark cases like Brown v. Board of Education, resegregation has allowed injustices to continue and kept true integration from existing. The stereotype bias permeates American culture and society and will continue to do so for years to come.

If any progress should be made, it must involve real awareness in law enforcement and the American government of racial disparities. ". old patterns continue to be reinforced through the ongoing processes of implicit bias, micro-aggression, and colorblindness. Thus, to effectively address inequity, the role of race must be explicitly acknowledged in addressing racial disparities in discipline" (Carter, Skiba, Arredondo, & Pollock, 2017, p. 207). The court system, police officers, judges, the prison system, they must all be restructured through laws and rulings that promote true acceptance of diversity and multiculturalism.

However, the prospects of these instances taking place seem unlikely. Going back to the Judeo Christian perspective, since humans are created in the image of God, they are thus responsible to God's law. Since God is a God of order (1 Cor. 14:33), the law of government must also represent order and order must be seen in the daily lives of people. Aside from such notions, A Christian perspective believes in the freedom of choice and the ability to exercise delegated power, acknowledging human responsibility.

If this were to be projected onto governmental law, it means people would have to take responsibility of their actions, including those that try to punish criminals and write and establish laws. God established through the Bible, that all of humanity is sinful (Rom. 3:23). Government exists to keep sinful behaviors under control. However, when sinful behavior exists in government in the form of corruption or unfair and unjust policies and laws, it becomes problematic and potentially acting against the law and word of God. Although the United States government tries.