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AVL Watchdog (https://avlwatchdog.org/category/justice/)

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Justice

Asheville Police calls: Roadmap for Defunding?

By Sally Kestin and John Maines | July 14, 2020

Of 911 calls and requests for assistance to Asheville Police, less than 1 percent involve a violent crime, an AVL Watchdog analysis of police dispatch data shows. Much of the time, police are summoned to routine calls such as traffic accidents, domestic disputes and loud parties or non-violent crimes like shoplifting, trespassing and prostitution, according to the analysis of more than two years of 911 calls. “The reality of policing is that the majority of their time is spent on things totally unrelated to crime,’’ said Matthew Robinson, a professor of criminal justice at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. “We know that 75 to 80 percent of an officer’s time is spent providing social services and routine administrative tasks like filling out reports.”

The role of law enforcement and questions about whether some police functions are better delegated to trained, unarmed professionals is a debate taking place in cities across America. Activists are calling on elected officials to reduce the size and scope of police work to lessen officers’ encounters with the Black community that have historically led to racial profiling, disproportionately high arrest rates, and excessive and deadly use of force. [AVL Watchdog: Arrest data suggest discrimination against Black people]

A petition to defund the Asheville Police Department and redistribute money to the Black community had 15,480 signatures as of Tuesday.

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'We’ve proved that we can'
Pandemic speeds criminal justice reforms

By Sally Kestin and Jason Sandford | May 3, 2020

Coronavirus has led to dramatic changes in crime and justice in Asheville from the courtroom to the cop on the street. Reported crimes are down, police are making fewer arrests and inmates are being sprung from jail. Criminal cases filed in Buncombe court have declined sharply since mid-March.Source: North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts 

And the criminal justice system of the future may bear little resemblance to pre-Covid-19 with lawyers in masks, social distancing in the courtroom and an excuse to get out of jury duty that could apply to a sizable portion of the population. Pre-existing conditions and even age could be a legitimate reason not to serve. The impact may last well past the pandemic and could finally achieve a long-heralded reform: converting the county jail from a holding pen for the poor to a lockup reserved for serious offenders.

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