Negotiating Police Reform

Authors

Cynthia Alkon, Texas A&M University School of LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2024

Journal Title

Mississippi Law Journal

ISSN

0026-6280

Abstract

In the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, the national conversation around police reform intensified and was part of a conversation with students at Texas A&M University School of Law. Students wanted more discussion and teaching about police, police misconduct, police reform, and defunding the police. Following those discussions, I created a simulation on local level police reform that, as of this writing, I have used twice in my negotiation class. Simulations are helpful teaching tools in a variety of settings, including law schools. Simulations can be particularly useful to help students discuss difficult topics in different ways by putting students in roles that demand that they go beyond their own views and that they put themselves in the shoes of others. I wanted an exercise that would help students to discuss police reform, police funding, and the issues of race that are wrapped up in these topics in a different way. In this short essay, I will explain the simulation, how I have used it in class, how it can be used to stimulate discussion around police reform, and some of the lessons I have learned in terms of how to conduct and organize this simulation.

First Page

1053

Last Page

1072

Num Pages

20

Volume Number

93

Issue Number

5

Publisher

University of Mississippi School of Law

Recommended Citation

Cynthia Alkon, Negotiating Police Reform, 93 Miss. L.J. 1053 (2024).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/facscholar/2091

File Type

PDF