The Kerner Commission

655 Words3 Pages

Historical commision reports have been extreemly useful for the fomration of future policy decisions. Looking at the similarities and differences in the circumstances that led to the formation of the Wickersham, Kerner, and Obama Commissions. Also, what were the similarities and differences in the reports ' recommendations. While the nuances of each report are different both in breath and scope the over arching theme of the three reports have very tangable and similar themes. Criminal activity and public outcry led to each of the commisions being formulated. The Kerner Commission is known best for its conclusion that the United States is moving toward two societies -- one black, one white; separate and unequal. This separate but unequal …show more content…

crime, police and community collaboration, and program implimentation to reduce violent offenses. The task force divided the report into different subset they called pillars. The pillars took a multifacested approach to crime and community issues. Pillar 1 dealt with building turst and legitimacy, pillar two focused on policy and police oversight within the community. Policy 3 dealt with technology, policy 4 dealt with community policing and crime reduction. Policy 5 focused on training and education for law enforcement as well as the community and the last policy focused on officer wellness and safety. These six polcies while different in scope from the two previously discussed commisions dealt with similar issues, public perception, public policy, and the trust or lack of trust between law enforcement and the public. President Obama put it nicely, “When any part of the American family does not feel like it is being treated fairly, that’s a problem for all of us. It means that we are not as strong as a country as we can be. And when applied to the criminal justice system, it means we’re not as effective in fighting crime as we could be” …show more content…

Race and inequality are as much a problem today as they were in the Hoover administration. While each task force and commision faced their own unique challenges, Obama with public relations and policing, Kerner with white privelage and welfare reform, and finally Wickersham with public crime and prohibition you can come to the same conclusion time and time again, the criminal justice system and the polcies we have in place are inadequate in delaing with our current economically challenged