37 min
Is the Justice System Rigged? (Part 1 - Law Enforcement) The Heart of the Matter in Black and White
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- Society & Culture
Today's episode is Part 1 of a multi-episode series on the justice system, one of the major systems contributing to systemic racism in America. We are joined by Nickoles Stankowski, a retired corrections officer who served at Trenton State Prison, the only maximum security facility in New Jersey. We start by asking about the socio-economic and psycho-social issues that disproportionately impact inmates, like poverty, illiteracy, and mental health struggles, and Nick talks about how once a disadvantaged person is caught up in the drag net of law enforcement without financial means for a robust defense, it's almost impossible to escape. He points out that not all laws made today are in the best interest of every person in the country. After all, slavery was once the law of the land. We debate the topic of "Blue Lives Matter" and the unspoken code that often exists among law enforcement officers to not hold one another accountable for bad behavior. Nick shares that some of the real issues facing law enforcement are actually themselves and their untreated mental health problems since suicide is one of the leading killers of cops, and we cover how the war on drugs has been a thinly veiled war on people of color. There are ways to deal with the police problem we have in this country, and we discuss the need for community policing, mental health training, and serving as a deterrent for crime rather than actively pursuing it.
Today's episode is Part 1 of a multi-episode series on the justice system, one of the major systems contributing to systemic racism in America. We are joined by Nickoles Stankowski, a retired corrections officer who served at Trenton State Prison, the only maximum security facility in New Jersey. We start by asking about the socio-economic and psycho-social issues that disproportionately impact inmates, like poverty, illiteracy, and mental health struggles, and Nick talks about how once a disadvantaged person is caught up in the drag net of law enforcement without financial means for a robust defense, it's almost impossible to escape. He points out that not all laws made today are in the best interest of every person in the country. After all, slavery was once the law of the land. We debate the topic of "Blue Lives Matter" and the unspoken code that often exists among law enforcement officers to not hold one another accountable for bad behavior. Nick shares that some of the real issues facing law enforcement are actually themselves and their untreated mental health problems since suicide is one of the leading killers of cops, and we cover how the war on drugs has been a thinly veiled war on people of color. There are ways to deal with the police problem we have in this country, and we discuss the need for community policing, mental health training, and serving as a deterrent for crime rather than actively pursuing it.
37 min