Protecting life the ethics of police deadly force

"The idea that police should prioritize protecting life seems obvious. Many use-of-force policies already endorse it. Too often, though, officers fall short of that principle. The problem goes deeper than a few bad apples. Law, policy, and training entrench practices that lead to avoidable killings,...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Jones, Ben, 1985- (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2026]
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Summary:"The idea that police should prioritize protecting life seems obvious. Many use-of-force policies already endorse it. Too often, though, officers fall short of that principle. The problem goes deeper than a few bad apples. Law, policy, and training entrench practices that lead to avoidable killings, which hit marginalized groups the hardest. Importantly, how police use deadly force is intertwined with questions of distributive justice. That insight differentiates Protecting Life in its approach to the ethics of police deadly force. It develops a framework to evaluate police deadly force at the individual and institutional level, with close attention to concerns voiced by Black Lives Matter on how policing contributes to structural injustices in society. The book's extensive engagement with social science research reveals ways to translate bedrock moral principles into policy. Ultimately, its conclusions push readers to rethink the state's obligations to those most vulnerable to police violence-particularly, disadvantaged racial groups and persons with mental illness"-- Provided by publisher.
Physical Description:220 pages ; 24 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 195-216) and index.
ISBN:9780197823286
9780197823279
Author Notes:Ben Jones is an assistant professor of ethics and public policy at Penn State. His books include The Ethics of Policing (coedited with Eduardo Mendieta), Apocalypse without God, and Antiracist Policing (coauthored with Karin Martin). His research on policing has received awards from the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and University of Houston's Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership. He cofounded and coordinates the Policing, Policy, and Philosophy Initiative (3PI) based at Penn State's Rock Ethics Institute. Previously, he worked in the nonprofit sector on criminal justice, which included directing the campaign that repealed Connecticut's death penalty.