Professional Documents
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Research Assessment 7
Research Assessment 7
Subject: Civil Unrest, Police Use of Force, and the Public’s Health
MLA Citation:
Bylander, Jessica. “Civil Unrest, Police Use Of Force, And The Public's Health.” Health Affairs,
Assessment:
deaths, or explanations that could make light of my findings. This article falls mostly under the
latter half of those. This article really dives in on the issues that the justice system faces in light
of growing unrest over police shootings specifically, analyzing the way that communities most
This information is highly relevant to me at this point in time because it offered a lot of
very interesting analysis about why certain communities and races might be disproportionately
affected by police shootings. The historical aspect is definitely something I had originally
thought of through my own data collection, but I had not realized the extent it could be drawn
out to. Historical movements like segregation, redlining, and centuries of disenfranchisement do
not just go away overnight and the lack of trust this has caused, coupled with the socioeconomic
impacts it has taken on so many lives, seems to be an all-too-perfect formula for these situations.
I think that, if I use this article as a starting point, I can really begin to look into some of these
causes more extensively and use them when piecing together my final product.
Something that stood out to me in this article was the wide-ranging impacts this
phenomenon can have on a person’s life. It does not stop at crime or even somewhat dangerous
living conditions, it extends into public health, something the article really focused on. While
this does not directly concern forensic pathology, it could in the long run. The people in these
conditions are the ones that are most likely brought into morgues in the highest numbers, and
that is concerning. The effects that history has on everyday life always confounds me. It also
makes me wonder: when people suffer such deep, historical setbacks, how are they to overcome
them? It has to be hard to sit back and watch these people who have experienced such hard lives
continue to flow in in body bags, and that is something that I do not think I consider enough.
While I know I will have to compartmentalize these issues when I reach my career, I hope this
thought continues on with me, and that I can see the circumstances grow even a little bit better.
One thing that the article confirmed for me was the genuine lack of numbers that really
exist concerning police-involved deaths. To me, this makes my final product overwhelmingly
worth it. I want to be able to illuminate the issue further, so that people can have a more
informed discussion about it. Hopefully, by adding in some reliable data to the conversation, I
can do something to help those that just want answers. That is my ultimate goal through this
project, and I am glad that I have this article to use as a starting point on my way to realize the