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The Ethics of Policing and Imprisonment pp 63–86Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

The Ethics of Policing: A Feminist Proposal

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Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Ethics and Public Policy ((PASEPP))

Abstract

This chapter uses a feminist lens to articulate the central problems facing policing today: (a) a decayed sense of trust in law enforcement, (b) the cultural influence of toxic or hegemonic masculinity, and (c) policing practices that perpetuate racial, gender, and social oppression. A normative model of feminist policing based in care ethics, called the community protector model, is proposed as the solution to these problems. Feminist care ethical policing values actions of caring justice—not just law and order—and identifies care and concern for others as the most rational basis for law enforcement. Finally, this model is applied to the issues in policing today, and the chapter shows how it can be used to create new protocols, change cultural gender norms, improve communication, replace authoritarian structures with community-based, interactive and educational ones, decrease discriminatory policing practices, and build soft power in law enforcement as a resource for engaging with citizens.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC, USA

    Julinna Oxley

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  1. Julinna Oxley
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Correspondence to Julinna Oxley .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA

    Molly Gardner

  2. Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA

    Michael Weber

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Oxley, J. (2018). The Ethics of Policing: A Feminist Proposal. In: Gardner, M., Weber, M. (eds) The Ethics of Policing and Imprisonment. Palgrave Studies in Ethics and Public Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97770-6_5

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