Essay Sample on Deaf and Police: Marlee Matlin's Insight on Miscommunication

The main topic and some topical issues discussed in the video are miscommunication between the police, deaf drivers, and pedestrians. The video presentation by Marlee Matlin includes topics such as how the deaf should communicate to police officers upon being pulled over, legal procedures for the deaf, and how the deaf ensure that their rights are honored when they are dealing with the police.

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Marlee Matlin qualifies as the best person to address the topic regarding deaf and police interaction because she is not only deaf but also a wife to a police officer. Additionally, she understands sign language and has interacted with numerous cases involving deaf people and the police. These attributes and experiences allow her to learn a lot and have trustworthy information about the issue.

One of the differences between the deaf people culture and the police culture is that while the deaf tend to touch as a way of communicating, the police view touching especially by a suspect as a threat.

One of the most important things to remember when interacting with police officers is to ensure that the deaf understands what is happening and what the police officers are saying to them. To ensure that this is achieved, the video suggests that the deaf should always ask for an interpreter or insist on communicating with the officer in writing. Additionally, the video suggests that the deaf should always ensure that they carry their license and a card showing that they are deaf before they start driving.

Furthermore, the video suggests that it is essential for the deaf to understand their rights when dealing with the law. It suggests that the deaf should always insist on consulting a lawyer before they sign any documents while dealing with the police. More importantly, the video suggests that upon being released after an interaction with the police, the deaf should always ask the police if they are permitted to leave and do it in an orderly civilized manner.

From the movies, I observed that most of the deaf people who are incarcerated could be there because they did not know how to interact with the police or did not know their rights. Additionally, little is done to educate the deaf about how to interact with the law, unlike in the case when there is a video such as the one by Marlee Matlin. Moreover, I observed that there is the need for all police officers to be trained how to use sign language and interact with the deaf to ensure that there are few errors in judgment that could lead to the deaf suffering for traffic crimes that they may not have committed