Drug Decriminalization in Maryland Through an African Centered Research Paradigm- Analysis and Recommendations

More documents

Info

procedural regime for criminal cases is necessary to limit the state’s ability to resort to blaming through punishment, especially against political enemies and minorities in a state.379 Expanding conversations about decriminalization to capture restrictions on police authority and discretion in a more coherent way broadens this inquiry to consider how in today’s policing era, “blaming” through punishment is not the only way that the state controls, stigmatizes, and condemns its political enemies or minorities. Rather, police authority and discretion are also key sources of control, stigma, and condemnation. As the previous discussion has highlighted, the harmful and disempowering consequences of police discretion can take force against members of different minority communities regardless of whether criminal punishment is ever applied. For instance, police discretion facilitates and perpetuates stereotypes that put transgender women—especially transgender women of color—at risk of being perceived as sex workers by the police whenever they walk in public.380 In addition, police discretion during the “war on drugs” over the past few decades, and the more recent “war on terror,” has facilitated and perpetuated stereotypes that force many members of minority communities—especially young men of color—to live with the everyday stigma of being perceived as “suspicious” by others.”(ibid). Woods presents some of the clear analysis of the limitations of critical elements of the standard model of decriminalization. Including a deeper analysis of Anti-Blackness, and an analysis of the net widening analysis from the previous section of this report, it appears possible that decriminalization can present new avenues for anti-Black bias to manifest itself. Thus, the first and most salient recommendation this report presents is that, in order to pursue research which most effectively reflects a comprehensive understanding Anti-Blackness and reflects an African Centered Research Paradigm, the research must have as one of its underlying assumption a desire not merely to study decriminalization of drugs, but to place its analysis of decriminalizing drug within a larger context of seeking decriminalize the social communal life of marginalized communities, specifically people of African descent. This finding has implications for the research methodology and policy recommendations stemming from drug decriminalization research. 4151 Park Heights Avenue, Suite 207, Baltimore, MD 21215 • www.lbsbaltimore.com • (410) 374-7683
Recommendations We have created this document to serve as an example of how to apply an African-centered research paradigm. It is undertaken with the understanding that the methodology used in this paper may not be entirely applicable to future research, given the unique experiences of the author, and this information is conveyed with the hope that this research will inspire future researchers to incorporate elements of this process into their understanding and methodology. It is difficult to reduce an evolving understanding of how to approach research to discrete recommendations. However, this section will attempt to distill our findings into specific observations and suggestions for future researchers. Operating on the understanding that this is not presented as a definitive or exhaustive list of “requirements” but as an attempt to clarify how our findings up to this point could be applied to future research. It is important to be precise in understanding that, though every research project document will likely be engaged by a variety of individuals and institutions, researchers should be clear in whom they see as their audience. Based on the findings of a preliminary conversation, advocacy organizations are likely to be a key audience for this project. As such, the information must be presented in a way that is easily accessible and shareable. This lends itself to a more narrative model and less towards a data-centric, academic-style form of presentation. It is important, however, that researchers not assume that the primary benefit of their research is to inform advocates on best practices around drug decriminalization. Whether intentional or not, the decisions made by researchers on what to center conceptually serves as forms of messaging and media. Presenting to the audience a theory on how to frame debates and interpret information. Netherland and Hassan comment on this point in the conclusion of their report, noting: “Racial and ethnic inequalities are symbolically imbedded in U.S. popular and political cultures as well as medicine and are reliably and imperceptibly reproduced in U.S. institutional practices. Specific interventions are required to counterbalance their hold on drug policy. If policy and clinical responses to addiction are to be racially inclusive, a racial/ethnic impact assessment is one way to predict and document the effects of health policies and clinical practices on racial and ethnic inequalities. Racial ethnic impact statements have been implemented in a few states, such as Iowa and Connecticut, and proposed in others, such as New York (London 2011; Mauer 2009). They require policymakers to conduct a formal assessment of how a specific policy proposal is likely to ameliorate or exacerbate racial disparities, particularly in the criminal justice system. These statements, modeled on fiscal and environmental impact statements, are meant to avoid policies that purport to be colorblind or race neutral but, in fact, result in differential treatment. These policy assessments could go a long way in heightening public awareness of the ways that racism is institutionally reinforced... 4151 Park Heights Avenue, Suite 207, Baltimore, MD 21215 • www.lbsbaltimore.com • (410) 374-7683
Page 1 and 2:
Drug Decriminalization in Maryland
Page 3 and 4: “In the face of this wave of over
Page 5 and 6: 2. Understand that paradigmatic ana
Page 7 and 8: While it is seductive to chalk thes
Page 9 and 10: paradigms and tools created by the
Page 11 and 12: is both an attempt to account for t
Page 13 and 14: Just as the dominant mode of scient
Page 15 and 16: concepts and find the truth embedde
Page 17 and 18: next section will seek to apply the
Page 19 and 20: decide how to use them for themselv
Page 21 and 22: from the outside, Baudrillard shows
Page 23 and 24: geographic boundaries between Black
Page 25 and 26: a former UN Secretary General, and
Page 27 and 28: health imperative seems to justify
Page 29 and 30: discipline themselves in conformity
Page 31 and 32: of critiquing power, the African Ce
Page 33 and 34: dependency occur objectively outsid
Page 35 and 36: from military dictatorship to democ
Page 37 and 38: young and their are for more cannab
Page 39 and 40: litureates seems to advocate for, t
Page 41 and 42: influences” from your past as a p
Page 43 and 44: significant number of them were hom
Page 45 and 46: The conversation around decriminali
Page 47 and 48: In the first, an alleged rape, the
Page 49 and 50: to arrest or citation in those beat
Page 51 and 52: is important, it is also important
Page 53: “As this example illustrates, the
Page 57 and 58: As the exonerations in Harris Count
Page 59 and 60: conducive to aggressive, heavy-hand
Page 61 and 62: legalization of adult use cannabis
Page 63 and 64: 3. Respect for and active perpetuat
Page 65 and 66: This concept of promoting socio-eco
Page 67 and 68: against the victims ofWhite racist
Page 69 and 70: tioners, these human service profes
Page 71 and 72: Notably, the trial and appellate co
Page 73 and 74: Chapman, Chris, and A. J. Withers.
Page 75 and 76: INCITE! Women of Color Against Viol
Page 77 and 78: Moynihan , Daniel Patrick. “(1965
Page 79 and 80: Schiele, Jerome H. Human Services a
show all

Drug Decriminalization in Maryland Through an African Centered Research Paradigm- Analysis and Recommendations

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?