In a recent piece, The Cavalier Daily’s editorial board asserted that arrest rates in the United States are generally too high and can have damaging effects on communities and individuals. There is a substantial amount of literature and empirical evidence detailing disparities in the criminal justice system from policing practices to bail and plea bargains. However, the authors did not provide enough background and did not detail existing laws surrounding arrests. The argument stands relatively unsupported and is generally ambiguous. This brief article may leave readers with some unanswered questions about current policy and the power that police officers have to arrest an individual.
The Fourth Amendment in the United States Constitution grants police officers the power to arrest an individual if they have “probable cause.” It is true that police officers have a fair amount of discretion when making the decision to arrest an individual and it seems that the authors are arguing against arrests for low-level infractions, which may result in nothing more than a fine. The source cited at the beginning of their article details the social, psychological and economic costs related to arrests of low-level offenders, or arrestees who quickly have their charges dropped. The authors may have a fair point, although it is not clearly articulated to readers.
The authors also claim that being arrested is causally linked to an increase in future arrests without citing a source. The general sentiment that arresting an individual and temporarily taking away their freedom may impact them in the future is not wrong. However, authors should be careful when making such strong assertions without providing empirical support for their argument. The lack of citations detracts from the overall effect of the article. Some of the language in the article is vague and it is not evident what types of cases they are discussing. Specifically, the authors mention, “the kinds of disruptive behavior police are usually tasked with solving.” It seems that this is a reference to cases of neighborhood disputes or issues involving mental health, but it is not immediately apparent.
When tackling a topic as important and vast as high arrest rates and criminal justice reform it is necessary to provide context, substantive evidence and consider narrowing the scope of discussion to a smaller area such as Charlottesville. It was an exceedingly ambitious discussion to have in less than 400 words. The points made in the article are not invalid. However, high arrest rates have far-reaching impacts and should be discussed with a serious understanding of the gravity of this topic. In the future, authors and editors should work to present a cohesive, well researched and substantiated argument — especially when the subject has such serious ramifications for members of the community.
Jacquelyn Katuin is the Public Editor for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at publiceditor@cavalierdaily.com or on Twitter at @CDPublicEditor.
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