In 2005, there were 26,946 tort, contract, and real property trials in the United States. Almost 60% of these were personal injury cases. Approximately 4% of all personal injury cases actually go to trial, however. This is because 95%-to-96% of these cases are settled out of court during pretrial negotiations.
If someone is the victim of police misconduct, contacting a personal injury law firm to obtain the counsel of a police brutality lawyer is essential. A police brutality lawyer can apprise them of their civil rights and responsibilities.
Defining Police Brutality
IExcessive force can be challenging to define. Basically, it is defined as “the use of force greater than that which a reasonable and prudent law enforcement officer would use under the circumstances,” according to uslegal.com.
Citizen Complaints and The Use of Excessive Force
According to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there was in excess of 26,000 citizen complaints that pertained to the use of excessive police force in 2002. Approximately 8% of these citizen complaints were found to be justifiable and resulted in disciplinary action.
For 2008, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that approximately 1.4% of the individuals that had police contact claimed force was used or threatened. In 2011, when being pulled over by an officer during a traffic stop, approximately 6% claimed they experienced the use or threat of force. Given these same drivers, 33% believed it to be excessive.
Excessive Force in the Detention System by Correctional Staff
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reports that the use of excessive force continues to be a significant issue in all types of detention facilities. Excessive force includes the following actions:
- Electroshock via tasers and stun guns
- Rape and sexual abuse
Electroshock can lead to “extreme, unnecessary suffering and sometimes death,” according to the ACLU. Furthermore, prisoners continue to be subjected to rape and other types of sexual abuse by inmates as well as detention center staff.
When someone is the victim of excessive force while incarcerated, it is important that they seek the services of a prison abuse attorney or a civil rights attorney in order to determine how to proceed with their case.
