The Task Force meetings will begin on November 1, 2020 and will end on January 31, 2021. The Task Force will meet three or four times for as much as four hours for each meeting.
The emphasis of the Task Force will be on implementation and ongoing evaluation of evidence-based practices by communities, their local jurisdictions, and the law enforcement agencies that serve them. According to Amendola, “the reduction of disparities in police use of force as well as the improved health and well-being people of color and their communities are not likely to be achieved by reactive or unsystematic efforts, but instead must be driven by scientifically-tested approaches, especially those generated from the field of psychology whose aim is to examine human behavior, its origins and its social impacts.”
The APA is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the U.S., numbering over 121,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Since the 1940’s, psychologists have made fundamental scientific contributions to our understanding of the nature of prejudice, stereotypes and their impact on shaping human actions, emotions, and judgments. As experts in human behavior, the contributions of psychologists are critical to addressing societal concerns about crime, justice, policing, and race.
The APA has previously issued testimony to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary during the Oversight Hearing on Policing Practices and Law Enforcement Accountability on June 10, 2020.
To learn more about the APA, please visit their website at: https://www.apa.org