Defund the Police

Table of Contents

Introduction
Pros
- Pro 1: Police departments are oppressive and violent; defunding them would reduce violence against people of color and overall crime.
- Pro 2: Police department reforms have failed; police departments cannot be reformed, only curtailed.
- Pro 3: Police were not intended to do many of the jobs they perform; defunding the police would allow experts to step in.
Cons
- Con 1: When police department budgets are cut, violence and civilian injuries increase, and departments turn to “taxation by citation” to raise money.
- Con 2: The level of police misconduct is overstated, more (not fewer) police are being called for in crime-ridden areas, and reforms are both possible and supported by a majority of Americans.
- Con 3: Police departments should not be disbanded but held to standardized national regulations, which should comply with international human rights laws.
1-minute Survey
Discussion Questions
Take Action
Sources

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

A Black Lives Matter protest

Read Next

Close-up of police body camera

Pro and Con: Police Body Cameras

Oceanside, CA / USA - June 7, 2020: People hold signs during peaceful Black Lives Matter protest march, one of many in San Diego County. One sign reads "Defund Police"

Pro and Con: Defunding the Police

Discover

space debris in Earth orbit, dangerous junk orbiting around the blue planet

How Much Trash Is In Space?

Aurochs. Bos primigenius. Skeleton. Extinct animal. Skeleton of an Aurochs, an extinct wild ox.

6 Animals We Ate Into Extinction

Aspirin pills.

7 Drugs that Changed the World

Secret Service Agent Listens To Earpiece

Secret Service Code Names of 11 U.S. Presidents

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

Eye. Eyelash. Eyeball. Vision.

7 Vestigial Features of the Human Body

Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species

Defund the Police: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

A Black Lives Matter protest

See All Images →

Topics

police Gay Marriage Historic Statue Removal Reparations for Slavery Dress Codes Daylight Saving Time Santa Claus Saturday Halloween Tulsa Creates Commission to Study Reparations Archaeologists Believe They Have Unearthed St. Nicholas’s Sarcophagus California to Apologize for Complicity in Slavery