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katymm's review
4.0
lettuce_read's review
4.5
Graphic: Police brutality and Racism
chan_fry's review against another edition
5.0
4.6 : In eleven essays, written by academics but accessible to laypersons, this book lays out the case that the U.S.’s criminal justice system is (and always has been) a system of injustice for black men. The citations are meticulous, with dozens (hundreds, in some cases) of sources listed at the end of each chapter, along with explanatory end notes. I would recommend it to anyone — except perhaps those already deeply familiar with the issues.
Since one can always find a flaw, I’ll say I thought the final essay was the weakest, both in writing style and organization; I wish it had been in the middle somewhere. Maybe a better ending (for me) would have been for Davis to summarize the policy proposals mentioned throughout the book.
(I have published a longer review on my website, complete with mini-reviews of each essay.)
dschoen's review
A Presumption of Guilt: the Legacy of America's History of Racial Injustice, Bryan Stevenson.
Beautifully written, detailed, and inspiring overview of the legacy of racial injustices in America.
The Endurance of Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System, Marc Mauer
Very detailed and thought-provoking. The author does not present abolitionist views on policing, but rather calls for a more equitable policing.
Boys to Men: The Role of Policing in the Socialization of Black Boys, Kristin Henning
A fascinating perspective on the upbringing of young people socialized in our violent and policed world. Frustratingly, also does not present an abolitionist perspective, but assumes that police can be reformed in ultimately meaningful ways.
Racial Profiling: The Law, the Policy, and the Practice, Renee McDonald Hutchins
Informative and descriptive of legal processes. Similar frustrations felt as previously stated.
Making Implicit Bias Explicit: Black Men and the Police, Katheryn Russell-Brown
VERY interesting research discussed on the reality and impacts of implicit bias. Also discusses the futility of training, and offers the alteration of our society as a response which will produce meaningful change.
Policing: A Model for the Twenty-first Century, Tracey Meares and Tom Tyler
This essay frustrated the hell out of me. Very pro-police and insanely skirts around the literal murders committed by police. Puts the onus of change on the people being policed and murdered. Horrendous theory and unclear the suggestions for change.
The Prosecution of Black Men, Angela J. Davis
An intriguing perspective on the judicial system that I have not heard much discourse about.
The Grand Jury and Police Violence Against Black Men, Roger A. Fairfax Jr.
Similar to that of the above essay.
Elected Prosecuters and Police Accountability, Ronald F. Wright
Another interesting perspective on the relationship between elected prosecutors and the police.
Do Black Lives Matter to the Courts? Jin Hee Lee and Sherrilyn A. Ifill
FASCINATING. Gives a brief yet thorough overview of the history of racism upheld legally by the Supreme Court.
Poverty, Violence, and Black Incarceration, Jeremy Travis and Bruce Western
YES!!!!!!!!!
lieslindi's review
Meticulous research and relentless rage.