Detecting situations of vulnerability in police headquarters: an impossible mission?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24310/bc.30.2024.20679Keywords:
vulnerability, access to justice, police custody, police culture, policing modelAbstract
This paper presents the results of the analysis of 54 interviews carried out to try to understand what it is like to go through the criminal justice system for two particularly vulnerable groups (foreigners who do not know the language and people with intellectual disabilities). Specifically, the analysis focuses on understanding the problems in identifying vulnerability in police
headquarters. The interviewees showed that vulnerability often goes undetected, not because of deliberate action, but because of the system’s inability to identify it and, if necessary, to know how to proceed. From the discourses of professionals and the testimonies of people in situations of vulnerability who have been in police custody, it can be deduced that, although the lack of training and tools is a fact, there are also other reasons that go beyond the effectiveness of police work and have more to do with the context of police custody, the police culture, the mission entrusted to the police, and a broader vision of public policies on how and who should act to guarantee equity.
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