The Black Death in Police Custody Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Black Death in Police Custody - Essay ExampleDeaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody since 1990. The details of deaths of blacks which have taken place in police custody and which have given rise to concern because of unexplained or mysterious circumstances surrounding those deaths and / or allegations of maltreatment, dereliction of duty or brutality have been discussed. The Study will be increasingly contacted by a small but neertheless disturbing number of families where a relative has died in suspicious circumstances and they atomic number 18 unhappy with the police investigation. Whilst it is non within our remit to provide assistance in such cases we have referred many families to members of our Lawyers group. The police be investigating themselves that makes it very difficult for them to win the combine of the deceaseds family, friends and local community. This is particularly the case following a black death in custody, when the police face a black community that already has, as senior police officers acknowledge, a heightened mistrust of the police. Families frequently complain about the length of time that the investigation takes, their lack of involvement in it and, as menti iodined earlier, the personality of the questions about the deceased. One major cause of anger for black families following a death in police custody is the misinformation - perhaps more accurately spin - put out in the polices publicity about the circumstances of the death. This misinformation, issued soon after the death, has tended to shape news coverage and wider public perceptions of the causes of a death and seems to be intended to play down the involvement of police officers.Table 1Deaths in Police Custody 1990-1998 (to July)Source INQUEST monitoring RTA = Road Traffic happeningFor the family of the deceased the inquest is their only opportunity to find out the circumstances of the death. This is particularly important given the lack of prior disclosure of information. However there are a number of serious obstacles in the way of effective representation. For a start not everyone has a family in some cases there is no one who qualifies as a properly interested person under the Coroners Rules. There is no legal aid (provision for it was made in the Legal Aid Act 1949 but never brought into force it was repealed in 1988). In cases where families have had legal advice and representation (often free as there is no legal aid) experienced barristers and solicitors have been able to discharge new light on the cause of death.Aim of ResearchThe Studys principal aim is to explore the reasons behind the black deaths in police custody. And there are should be a wide ranging public inquiry into deaths in custody to consider- to investigate legal processes which follow- to focus in particular on the treatment of bereaved families- to address the disproportionate number of black