Civil Rights

Emerging Technologies
commentary
Bans on Facial Recognition Are Naive. Hold Law Enforcement Accountable for Its Abuse
Osonde A. Osoba @OsondeOsoba, Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung
Jun 17, 2020
The Hill
Broader police reform may be difficult to achieve. But in the long run, it will be more effective than any specific technology ban.
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Law Enforcement
commentary
State Police Powers: A Less Than Optimal Remedy for the COVID-19 Disease
Douglas C. Ligor @DougLigor
May 1, 2020
United Press International
How can the United States face what may be a growing threat of pandemics without having to exercise powers so extraordinary that they not only restrict fundamental rights and liberties, but also damage or jeopardize the economic livelihood of so many?
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China
commentary
How Washington Could Make Beijing Listen on Xinjiang
Mollie Saltskog, Colin P. Clarke
Jan 17, 2020
Foreign Affairs
In autonomous Xinjiang, at least one million ethnic Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities have been incarcerated by the Chinese government. What can the United States and its allies do to help defuse this humanitarian crisis?
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Children
commentary
Celebrating Children's Rights Is Important, but More Progress Is Needed
Eleftheria Iakovidou, Barbara Janta
Nov 25, 2019
Encompass
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which set a legal framework and put children's rights firmly on the international policy agenda, was adopted 30 years ago. While there are a number of initiatives in place, more work could be done to maximize children's involvement in policy and decisionmaking on issues that affect their lives.
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Labor Markets
commentary
Saving Farmworkers from Slavery-Like Conditions, Field by Field
Susan L. Marquis @susanlmarquis
Sep 5, 2019
United Press International
Those at the bottom of the European agricultural supply chain are vulnerable to abuse. The same was true in the tomato fields of Florida until recently. The solution developed there may offer a roadmap for doing right by workers in Europe.
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Terrorism
commentary
The Christchurch Massacre Was Another Internet-Enabled Atrocity
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Mar 20, 2019
The Hill
Terrorism has become an internet-enabled abuse—incited, propagated, and sometimes organized and concealed by online activity. Who should be held accountable for abusive content, the author or the publisher? And what role should the government play in regulating it?
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Democracy
commentary
Freedom of the Internet 'Press'
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Aug 10, 2018
The Hill
The First Amendment protects the rights of companies such as Facebook and YouTube to publish what they choose. Arguing against this right could lead to government regulation over digital media. It could also further degrade the reliability of online information.
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Civil Rights
commentary
From Florida's Farm Fields, Lessons for #MeToo and Other Movements
Susan L. Marquis @susanlmarquis
Jun 15, 2018
United Press International
Organizers who want to bring about social change would do well to look to Florida farmworkers. They took on the low wages, physical abuse, and vulnerability that have long characterized agricultural labor in the United States—and won, changing the culture for the better.
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Gender Equity in the Workplace
commentary
Female Drivers Can Put Saudis on Road to Enhanced Growth
Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
Sep 29, 2017
The Hill
Allowing women to get behind the wheel will likely lead to significant long-term changes in Saudi Arabia's economy and the participation of women in the labor force.
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Supply Chain Management
commentary
Campaign for Fair Food Makes a Real Difference
Susan L. Marquis @susanlmarquis
Aug 25, 2017
Tampa Bay Times
The Fair Food Program protects farmworkers while providing corporations with transparency in their supply chains and tremendous brand protection. It has been widely recognized for improving agricultural working conditions and for changing the culture of America's farm fields.
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Civil Rights
commentary
Using Digital Data in Criminal Investigations: Where and How to Draw the Line?
Brian A. Jackson
May 15, 2017
Forensic Magazine
Personal devices such as smartphones and wearables gather and store personal data. How much of this "digital footprint" should be available for criminal investigations?
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Data Science
commentary
What Data Is the Government Keeping About You?
Dulani Woods, Brian A. Jackson
Mar 1, 2017
Inside Sources
Governments are amassing a wealth of data on citizens, a trend that will continue as technology advances. But with no reliable way to ensure that the data is accurate, risks abound. In the criminal justice system, for example, poor quality data could affect individual freedoms and employability.
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Data Analysis
commentary
No Company Should Be Able to Keep You from Checking Your Government's Math
Brian A. Jackson
Jan 18, 2017
Inside Sources
Data and computer models are becoming more and more important for making policy decisions on everything from prison sentences to tax bills. But citizens should be able to “check the math” on decisions that affect them.
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Law Enforcement
commentary
Reform of 'Stop and Search' Requires Effective Communication
Lucy Strang, Chris Giacomantonio
Oct 27, 2016
Police Oracle
The UK's Home Office commissioned the development of a new training package and standard of practice for the use of stop and search. As the program is rolled out nationally, officers need to receive consistent and persuasive messages about the purpose and goals of the training.
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Immigration and Emigration
commentary
Why Re-Establishing Border Controls in Europe Could Come at a High Cost
Marco Hafner, Jirka Taylor
Oct 13, 2016
E!Sharp
Reversing the Schengen agreement would come at a high economic cost, while undoing many of the positive social and political developments of the past decade.
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Emerging Technologies
essay
How Will Technology Change Criminal Justice?
Jan 7, 2016
In perhaps no other field does society have as direct a stake in getting technology right as in policing. How will technology change the work that law enforcement agencies do and the communities they serve?
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Data Science
commentary
The USA Freedom Act: The Definition of a Compromise
Sina Beaghley
May 29, 2015
The Hill
The USA Freedom Act does not 'balance' privacy and national security, nor is it clear that any legislation can credibly do so. There's no monolithic view of what such a balance should look like.
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Discriminatory Practices
commentary
'Product of Mexico': Why Have Corporate/Social Responsibility Programs Failed?
Susan L. Marquis @susanlmarquis
Dec 12, 2014
Newsweek
The Fair Food Program has been a leader in using cooperation, visibility, and accountability to meet the needs of workers, growers, and buyers. Can it be a model for addressing these critical issues in Mexico as well?
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Child Well-Being
commentary
The Time Is Ripe for Evidence-Based Child Policy in the UK
Barbara Janta
Nov 20, 2014
Open Policy Making
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress that has been made and the challenges that remain. Even in the UK there are still children who live in poverty and inequality, who experience violence, and who are not afforded rights on par with their peers.
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Discriminatory Practices
commentary
Wal-Mart Chooses Fairness, Giving Farmworkers a Boost
Susan L. Marquis @susanlmarquis
Feb 7, 2014
Orlando Sentinel
The recent commitment by Wal-Mart Stores to the Fair Food Program is a transformational moment in the decades-long struggle for fair treatment of agricultural workers in America but the decision is hardly the last human-rights battle to be won on behalf of this long-oppressed work force.
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Cybersecurity
commentary
After NSA Spying Revelations, US Must Reform Rules on Secrecy and Data
Gregory F. Treverton
Nov 14, 2013
Christian Science Monitor
The U.S. should make two key reforms. First, the over-designation of material as classified makes it is harder to protect the few real secrets; this must be change. Second, the FISA court must become a gatekeeper for NSA access to communications data.
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Police-Community Relations
commentary
Police Need to Do a Better Job of Explaining Stop-and-Frisk
K. Jack Riley @K_Jack_Riley, Greg Ridgeway
Dec 6, 2007
New York Daily News
Good relations between the police and the public are a cornerstone of civil society. Everyday interactions between cops and citizens are at the heart of what defines those relations, write Jack Riley and Greg Ridgeway.
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commentary
Selecting for Security
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jul 26, 2005
Newsday
The recent decision to conduct random searches of backpacks and packages carried by passengers on New York and Boston subways, commuter trains, and buses has provoked controversy. Americans want better security, but remain wary about how it is provided.
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commentary
Terrorism in India is Not Just an Internal Threat
Rollie Lal
Sep 30, 2003
Financial Times
The car bombs that last month killed 52 people and wounded more than 150 in Mumbai are the latest and deadliest manifestation of a widening Islamic terrorist campaign in India. The campaign may signal an important new centre of terrorist activity and needs to be closely watched by governments around the world.
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commentary
Connect the Cops to Connect the Dots
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Jun 1, 2003
The San Diego Union Tribune
commentaries by RAND Staff: insightful commentaries on current events, published in newspapers, magazines and journals worldwide.
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