Chris Calton on America’s History of Policing

Historian Chris Calton calls in to talk about the history of policing in America. The primary contributor to issues like rioting and police brutality, Calton says, is urban policing. Crime is not the primary determiner in arrest and incarceration statistics, Calton shockingly states. If crimes haven’t increased then why are arrests increasing? The reason, according to Calton, is top-down pressure from politicians and bureaucrats to increase arrests. How did qualified immunity come into existence and how instrumental has it been in the rise of police brutality? How did criminal law originate? Listen to the full episode to find out and more.

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Listen to the Chris’ Historical Controversies podcast.