2020 saw mass protests against police violence in the US, Colombia, Nigeria and Indonesia, amongst other contexts. But when considering what to do about it, those interested in reform are confronted with a weak evidence-base on effective measures to reduce police violence. This leaves a prominent and unanswered question – how do you actually reform the police?
In this webinar, Matthew Light brings a comparative-politics perspective, looking at the broader factors which impact reform. Jyoti Belur speaks about the challenges and barriers to police reform in India. Cathy Lisa Schneider discusses the role of social movements such as the Black Lives Matter in police reform in the US. Ziyanda Stuurman presents her perspectives based on her research on policing in Brazil and South Africa.
This series seeks to bring together researchers, policymakers, donors and activists to ask what determines successful police reform and how can we best support it? It features scholars and practitioners who have worked on police reform in the West and the Global South to examine what lessons can be drawn from Western cases but also how can lessons from the Global South can inform police reform in the West.
Watch
Listen
This event was held on 30 April 2021.
Jyoti Belur is Associate Professor at University College London.
Matthew Light is Associate Professor of Criminology and Sociolegal Studies at the University of Toronto.
Cathy Lisa Schneider is Professor at the School of International Service at American University.
Ziyanda Stuurman is Author and Project Leader at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation.
Meet the discussant
Andrea Varsori is an Assistant Professor (Criminology) at the University of Huddersfield. He is also Co-coordinator for the Urban Violence Research Network. Previously, he completed his doctoral research from the Department of War Studies, King's College London, where he studied criminal and paramilitary groups in urban Brazil
Meet the chair
Chris Alden is Director of LSE IDEAS and Professor of International Relations at LSE.