Police Reform or Prison Reform: Real Reform Starts in the Heart

After yet another widely publicized case of murder by cops, this time Tyre Nichols of Memphis, Tennessee, we hear renewed calls for police reform. Clearly, something needs to change because police brutality is still a problem. 

Public tragedies, like Tyre's brutal beating, prompt calls for change because people feel appalled and powerless. Police officers should be trusted, not invoke terror. Most Americans genuinely believe there is a need for law enforcement, but they feel conflicted when things like this murder occur. 

But what exactly is police reform? Several years ago, to some it meant defunding the police. Not many people now believe that is a viable solution. So what has to change? What must be reformed? Was it really bad training that made these cops kill Tyre? Certainly not. No amount of change in training would stop the complete abuse of power we saw. 

Must we change our hiring practices? Police departments around the country are already short staffed because they can't find competent help. So what exactly, I ask again, must change? What will stop these cases of police murder and brutality from occurring? 

Prison reform is another phrase that sounds good but has murky definitions. I think the public generally supports prison reform, but they don't really even know what that means. Does it mean reductions in sentences? More rehabilitative programming? New prison designs or improvements in existing structures? 

Some political talking heads and media outlets are clouding the subject further by connecting the prison reform movement (and criminal justice reform) with rising crime rates. But they aren't connected. It's just a convenient political slight of hand. Crime rates are rising for several reasons completely unconnected to current criminal justice policies. 

Prison reform, like police reform, offers well-meant solutions, but they aren't always well thought out. Will prison reforms reduce crime? Maybe not, but neither are they likely to increase it. If reforms mean some prisoners are released early, will some of those prisoners commit more crimes? Probably. But does that mean reforms shouldn't happen? Of course not. They should because our current system is excessively retributive and uses very little science toward its desired outcomes. 

Just as prison reforms will likely not reduce crime, police reforms are not going to stop police abuse. Both will require reforming character and holding those in power accountable for abuse. Reforms can be either top down or bottom up, but it takes intentional, character-driven change in people first. Policies are only as good as those who enforce or follow them. 

Tyre Nichols' murder would not have been stopped by new policy. The law is already quite clear. Still, we do need reforms, but those reforms must start in the heart of people or nothing will really change.