Policing in Emerging Democracies Workshop: Prepared Papers and Participant Biographies

• NCJ Number: 162376
• Author(s): D H Bayley; P B Heymann; D G Wilson; W F Walsh; C Shearing; J Wood
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 101 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of State; National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/NCJRS
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Papers from a workshop held in Washington, D.C., December 14-15, 1995.

Annotation

Four papers examine issues related to the provision of outside technical assistance to facilitate the reform and transformation of police forces that are emerging from authoritarian to democratic forms of government.

Abstract

The first paper discusses impediments to achieving democracy through police reform, the opportunities through which police reform may be facilitated, and policies designed to achieve police agency transformation in accordance with democratic principles. The second paper draws on the author's experiences in working in Guatemala, South Africa, Colombia, and Russia to comment on the principles of democratic policing. He first describes two types of democracy -- "weak" and "strong" in the strength of support for popular rule -- and two types of criminal justice systems -- "weak" and "strong" in their ability to handle crimes by the powerful. He then describes how the type of democracy a country has is influenced by the type of criminal justice system developed. Finally, he discusses what outsiders, such as the United States, can do to help develop an effective and strong criminal justice system that reflects democratic principles. The third paper critiques conventional wisdom regarding the transformation of policing in new democracies and proposes an alternative strategy that reflects the trend toward decentralized policing that emphasizes community involvement and citizen cooperation with the police. The fourth paper assesses the experiences and knowledge the authors gained from working with the national police forces in both Hungary and Romania. It addresses the philosophies, orientations, and modes of entry that resulted in the establishment of ongoing relationships and programs with these two national police organizations. The authors also identify a number of needs and issues that should be addressed by the two organizations as they attempt to adjust and adapt to a new political model (democracy). Biographies of the workshop participants are included. For individual papers, see NCJ-162377-79.