Beyond Policing

by Philip V. McHarris

What better way to make the case for a police free world than to show a world where it's possible?

For Princeton University’s Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow, Philip V. McHarris, body cameras, de-escalation training, procedural justice, diversity among police, and other popular reforms will never stop police violence. And high emphasis on punishment in the United States has left many communities without the resources needed to keep them safe. Beyond Policing aims to provide a better understanding of the origins and functions of policing and the criminal punishment system in the United States. In this research-driven collection of essays, author and sociologist Philip V. McHarris charts the pitfalls of policing in the United States, from slave patrols, to the expansion of mass policing in the mid-1900s, and the epidemic of police violence today.
 
Written in deftly precise, yet widely accessible language, Beyond Policing presents evidence, both data and anecdotal, that tackles the weight and toll of policing on people and communities and patterns that prove that police reform only leads to more policing. And for what seems like America’s most oppressive institution, McHarris points to an exit from the current punitive paradigm, outlining strategies for responding to conflict and harm in ways that transform the conditions that gave rise to violence. This requires, he asserts, decriminalization, decarceration, and defunding punitive institutions that have created the current police and carceral state and a committed investment in community-based alternatives—mechanisms that actually provide safety.

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Justice, Audiobook, Politics

320 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2024

Reviews

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been looking for a book like this since I started on my non-fiction journey and learning more about the world we live in. This truly was one of the most eye opening and informative reads I’ve yet to have. This book solidified and expanded exponentially on ideas surrounding the police that I have had rattling around in this brain for a while now.

This book dives very deeply into the systems the US has put into place to create a country where police presence is rewarded, heralded, and is ultimately a legally protected racist/misogynist/sexually abusive murder machine. I’ll never be able to articulate the systemic abuse of the police as well as McHarris did in this book, but it’s appalling the extent to which violence occurs at the hands of the police simply because they exist. Put VERY simply, the United States, since it’s very founding (and arguably well before because, you know, COLONIZERS) have created a system where people are punished for existing based on skin color, sexual orientation, any non-conforming policies etc etc. Black people and minorities experience the violence of this punitive incarceration system to a much greater extent than any Caucasian person ever could. This stems from the fact that the police were CREATED to CAPTURE SLAVES. How can you deny the police were born to cause harm more so than their very basis of existence???

This book details the irreparable harm the police have caused to many minority populations across America, and the legal system in place to protect this phenomenon. Capitalism THRIVES on keeping its people locked in poverty, cycles of incarceration, without homes, without food, in debt, without adequate clothes, in a constant state of fear, in wartime, etc. and so far it’s so deeply entrenched that it’s working. (For the most part). When people live in survival mode to this extent, anything goes to keep yourself alive. And capitalism LOVES that because someone who robbed a store to pay their rent will be placed in the carceral system where their physical body and space they take up will create money for the prison. The work they do for pennies on the dollar saves the state in wages.

And I cannot adequately convey the violence that the police impart on every community that they invade. If you think about daily life and your existence… think of a space where police aren’t involved. Can you? The bank, the front desk of the hospital, SCHOOLS, traffic stops, sitting alongside the road, the grocery store, it goes ON AND ON. Why is this? What kind of state do we live in that police violence must be threatened at every turn? It’s because capitalism demands sacrifice and asset protection. The only way to ensure police violence does not occur is preventing police interactions. There are countless (HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS) of examples of police violence- disproportionately inflicted on minorities and black folks. A woman is much more likely to be abused in the home (sexually and physically) by a cop than any other demographic. Why???? It’s a fucking power trip. They are literally granted legal rights to stop, frisk, no-knock warrant, murder, shoot, chase, abuse, and assault anyone they feel is “threatening”. How about the kid walking down the street too slowly? Or the people sitting on the stoop waiting for the bus?? Could be killed for existing.

But I digress. Not really but… I’m just so passionate about how disgusting the carceral system and cops are, and how deeply embedded this system is. It doesn’t matter “what kind of person you are”, if you are a cop or ANYTHING adjacent (military too but that’s another sort of related argument), YOU ARE UPHOLDING A SYSTEM OF VIOLENCE. ACAB ACAB ACAB ACAB ACAB UNTIL THE DAY I DIE.


This book has so many amazing quotes and passages relating to this issue. I’ve not ever read a book so well put together, that gives real world examples of how to change, direct action that can be taken, and a picture of what a world without cops could look like. It’s not just a world without police. It’s creating a world where the police aren’t necessary. Providing housing, shelter, clothes, food, water, education, and every need to every person. More than just the basics. Enough to LIVE, not SURVIVE. And it IS POSSIBLE. We live in a world that relies on money as the only system of bartering and forces individualism, but the way out of this is community. Creating a space where people can go for the help they need, and violence interruption. McHarris gives so many examples of organizations already established to do just this.

This is a phenomenal read that I will be thinking about for a long time. I can’t wait until the day when I do enough work to consider myself an abolitionist. I’m one in the making 🖤🖤

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

PRINCIPLE 5 "Police seek and preserve public favor not by catering to the public opinion but by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law."

-Sir Robert Peel's Nine Principles of Policing, 1829

[I]f they are stealing because they are unable to meet their basic needs and are thus engaging in actions that may be harmful to themselves and others, moving beyond policing means looking for ways to ensure that they have their needs met so they don't feel as inclined to steal.

This book is vital. It's also repetitive, discombobulated, and thinly stretched. If you come here looking for a straight through read, you'll certainly find some of what you're looking for, but it will be most likely be randomly scattered, tediously embedded, or otherwise ill structured. If you come here looking for one thing in particular, this work is unfortunately not indexed, and the bibliography is so choked with MLA citation that a needle in a haystack would be an all expenses paid for vacation. Now, I'm as brutally critical as I am due to my experience with government as a union steward who, even in the midst of undergoing chemo, has to deal with conniving HR telling the union one thing and the city council another when it comes to years-long overdue pay increases. Long story short, I want McHarris to get all he wants in this book and more, but the stories he tells and the facts he cites and the statistics he sources desperately needed to be threaded together and compactly set in a comprehensively rhetorical fashion; perhaps even as simple as picking one particularly strong concrete example (CAHOOTS up in Oregon could write a book all on its own) and cyclically clustering claims with their intended facts until the argument is all trussed up and ready to be sucked dry.

People are not seen as complex humans who may need support and who may be dealing with a range of realities shaped by an unjust world; they are simply addicts.

[T]he framework of "crime" does not capture the complex nature of safety. Throughout history—up to today—a large range of harmless activities have been criminalized. They include survival economies and activities that Black communities engage in routinely as part of everyday social life. While cigarettes are unhealthy, stores sell them every day. But selling loosies has been historically criminalized, and the criminalization of the practice led to the tragic murder of Eric Garner.

As it stands, it was good the book ended when it did, considering the increasing frequency with which the same quote from Ruth Wilson Gilmore was trussed out in various formats within the last twenty pages. Because, let me tell you, when it comes to the police in the USA, you best be ready to tangle with the bubonic plague of all newspaper crises when it comes to lawyer talk, fearmongering, threats, sealioning, and flat out terrorism if I'm going to be honest about law and order in this settler state. What is it all worth, then? Well, I currently work in a tourisst trap city that is strapped to the gills with the sort of gilded folks that just loooooove their police force, except neighbors don't talk to each other, old time residents are graffitiing the public space due to not being able to pay cash for coffee anymore, the young have nowhere to go, the retired have nothing to do, and every time we run a library program, I meet someone who without our space may have ended up in a domestic violence dispute, or a foster care scenario, or on the other side would gladly feed a community center if zoning weren't so fucked. Long story short, even my pretty little paradise of a workplace suffers from putting all its faith in cops, and what with us having undergone a young white man being shot to death by police in an altercation where the victim was local enough to have been known as a child but not local enough to be granted a deescalation that didn't involve a shotgun full of bean bag rounds.

The police violence and carceral harm that academics help to enable often go unspoken, concealed by the veneer of scientific objectivity.

The [Pennsylvania State Police] engaged in labor repression and suppression tactics, many of which were drawn from imperial strategies of the Philippine Constabulary, which had been created to manage the US occupation of the Philippines, where officials engaged in counterinsurgency strategies to suppress dissent and maintain the broader imperial order.

The application of RICO — a law designed to tackle organized crime and later used to dismantle Black gangs while failing to address the systemic issues that had produced them — against peaceful protesters is indicative of the use of authoritarian and fascist approaches to preserve police power and quell dissent.

In light of all that, I want the community experiments and the transformative fact finding and the legal loopholes turned executive strongholds, even around as simple as being able to put civilians in charge of traffic control (currently illegal in my state) so badly it hurts. I'm just not sure if this is the kind of book that is going to make the best use of someone who has my kind of experience but isn't already convinced about police abolitionism, especially when it comes to concrete stories, definable metrics, and the last 250 years of legal history. For whatever happens, it's going to be a long hard slog of meet, confer, protest, endure, meet, confer, research, present, meet, confer, make some minor gains, take some insulting losses, all the while the work week grinds on and no one gets any younger. As stated, McHarris is no Gilmore, but he strikes gold at times with his quotes, and all it takes is one brainstorm of an organization, a negotiator, a project/people/place fermenting a new way of community justice where poverty is not a crime and bigotry is not just deserts, and away the reader goes towards some sort of concrete action. My only ask is the reader keep on going and find the book that this piece should have been.

P.S. For all my halfhearted griping, this isn't the worst book to start 2025 with. May it bear fruit.

Policing has become a tool of economic mobility in Black communities. In a police-free world people will not see being a copy as one of the only viable options for stability because there will be, in the visions of many abolitionists, a society that guarantees that everyone has their basic needs, including food, housing, education, health care, and dignified work, met.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond Policing by Philip V. McHarris is an essential read for anyone interested in the intersections of race, justice, and public safety. McHarris presents a bold and necessary critique of the policing system, shedding light on its inherent flaws and the profound impact it has on marginalized communities.

Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, McHarris examines the historical context of policing, revealing its roots in enforcing racial hierarchies and social control. He then shifts to the present, where he explores how these foundations continue to manifest in modern policing practices, contributing to systemic injustice and inequality.

What truly makes this book stand out is its forward-looking perspective. Rather than simply criticizing the status quo, McHarris provides a visionary roadmap for what public safety could look like without the reliance on traditional policing. He introduces innovative community-based solutions that prioritize care, support, and restorative & transformative justice, offering readers practical alternatives that have the potential to create safer, stronger communities.

Beyond Policing is a thought-provoking and inspiring call to action. It challenges readers to envision a world where safety is not synonymous with policing but is instead rooted in equity, justice, and community empowerment. This book is a powerful reminder that a different world is possible and within our reach if we dare to reimagine it.

A must-read for anyone passionate about social justice and envisioning transformative change.

[Natalie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Good explanations of how we got the policing we have. The author points out how policing harms our society especially POC and how to think about order in our society differently.

[David Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Beyond Policing, Philip McHarris traces the transnational history of the police from its earliest manifestation as slave patrols through its mid-twentieth century development into the dominant punitive law enforcement institution in the United States. He shows that imperialism and colonialism have been central to the adoption by US police forces of strategies developed abroad as counter insurgency measures in former territories like the Philippines to control union unrest and other social protest domestically. Relying on violent intervention and resulting in carceral punishment, policing has served to surveil and control communities of color and the poor while failing to address the underlying social conditions–structural racism and systematic inequality–that are the root causes of much crime. Moreover, police reform, while superficially addressing corruption and ameliorating ties with local communities, has neither reduced endemic police violence nor increased public safety.

McHarris proposes dispensing with the police entirely and enacting a redistribution of resources to create an intricate social web of community-based organizations and services that collectively address these underlying issues and meet the needs for safety and justice of all members of society. Safety is at the heart of his project. “What makes us safe?” he asks, imploring each reader to probe the question.

But his deeply-researched book does not simply conjure a theory of an alternative world. The author devotes more than one hundred pages to documenting existing examples of productive community-based programs in the U.S., largely without federal funding, that offer services independent of the police in mediation, violence interruption, crisis response, firearm harm reduction, mental health, restorative and transformative justice, education, and traffic safety. With proper funding and legitimization by “state and political entities,” McHarris argues, these organizations and others like them could form the core of a society structured without the police.

In shorter chapters described as interludes, the author reveals his personal investment in comprehensive social change. He describes his experiences of police harassment and intimidation as a youth growing up in Brooklyn and Newark and his participation as an activist in organized protests against police violence. This book skillfully layers historical research, impassioned personal accounts of police oppression, and existing, data-supported examples of community transformation into a manifesto arguing for divestment of resources from the police to enable alternative formations of community safe-keeping and care. It is required reading, both a visionary work of scholarship and social activism and a policy document that sets the agenda for civic discourse on social reform and public safety.

[Clifford Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a particularly effective, articulate, scathing attack on American police and its horrendous history. I put this as five stars despite is at sometimes being a little preachy and longwinded because the book really does such a good presentation on the problems facing the United States with its police. Not sure the suggestions are totally workable, but certainly drastic change is needed. Any advocating the defunding of police is going to be questionable policy change that will also cause pushback from a very large percentage of the public and of course from the police and the corrupt police unions. Certainly way too much is spent on policing, and it great impact on what is available for solutions that do not treat the symptoms as the police do, but the causes.

From other sources of information, and what I previously knew understood supports the statements in this book. This indicates to me that the book is mostly correct in its condemnation of the police. I knew that the Texas Rangers were originally formed to contain the slaves. Also that the original purpose of militias in the United States was to control the slave population whose large numbers were feared by the whites. I have known about the violence of police, that have regularly killed over a thousand Americans every year, many unarmed. I know that police that are fired are normally reinstated, in a large part because of labor unions, and that police are seldom charged (around a single percent for murders) and very seldom convicted (apparently less than a handful are charged every year for murder). I know about them be used against the labor movement. The extent of the evil however astounded me. I have also seen how police departments like the Colorado Springs department are extremely abusive to protesters.

Police were not created initially to protect the public but to protect the rich, to control the marginalized. Its early purpose was not safety but to keep certain groups under control and it seems like that is what it still does best, with any policy changes having little impact on safety if not outright making the community more dangerous. Policy changes appear to have almost consistently made the situation worse. The police keep on being given more power and immunity, and it becomes harder to hold them responsible for their actions. Very few police are punished for even murders, let alone the much more common abuse and destruction of proper. Historically police have done little to help those that most need them, the marginalize minorities of the nation. Too often the police support the rich oligarchs and the whites in the country at the expense of the colored people. The support of police and supposed law and order agendas are consistently used by politicians to gain support. If there is one book that does such an effective job of proving how common sense can so often be so very wrong. Common sense says that support of the police should make things better, but it seems to consistently not, and more often than not seems to make the situation worse. Instead, there has to be a much more scientific approach to evaluating the success of policy changes, and opinion of people (not so much the businesses as usually the case) of minority communities should heavily influence continuation of programs since they and their communities are the ones that always seem to be damaged by the changes. Too often it is the police that have ended up behind the crime organizations, and with the power immunity that have been given, are often much worse than the gangsters that are not police. Police also way too often commit sex crimes. In history, they have been brutally used to control the black slaves, then to control the labor movement. To control any attempts to organize groups for changes that affect the status quo of the rich.

Most shocking is the amount spent on policing. The book states $187 billion in 2018. I looked it up and got much worse with $222 billion, up $7 billion from the previous year ($135 billion spent policing, $87 billion corrections). Washington, D.C., and California spent the most on police and corrections per capita, spending around $1,400 and $1,100 per capita, respectively. When you consider that the Chinese, who have the largest military budget behind the US is only $296 billion, it seems like the US is very much a police state. The US has 1,214,000 serving in law enforcement (2018). US is one of the worst countries on police killings with generally well over a thousand a year. I do not know what the solution is, but the police of the United States are probably doing a lot to destroy the country. In 2045 the white race will become a minority, and so the police will representing very small percentage of the population. Another astounding statistic is that only 4% of the calls are for violent crimes.

He strongly argues the elimination of police. He points out so many instances of here police action actually initiated the anger of minority groups and resulted on riots. Often what were peaceful protests become violent because of uncalled for police violence aggravating the situation. I have to agree with him on eliminating of laws against drugs and sex. The damage done with police and having these actions illegal does more harm, and also makes it harder to help those in need. And police are often responsible for many sex crimes, and apparently their partners and families are four times more likely to suffer from spousal abuse.

And all this money that keeps being allocated to police is usually at the expense of other programs, programs that try to deal with the causes rather than the symptoms like the police do. More money to police does no good, but probably loss of funds for other programs does a lot of harm. Just imagine what half of the amount spent on police, well over $100 million, could do to help marginalized communities. That is a massive amount of money and spending on the police appears totally wasteful.

Ideas like removing the police from traffic enforcement (and I would say making a national law that police cannot issue tickets of any sort) is a great idea. The using of unarmed members of the department of Transportation seems to have been successful. Also, response to many calls by non-police units would also be great as the police do such a bad job. Maybe have a crisis team reply to calls, maybe associated with the fire department, with the police only called as backup. Minimize police interaction with the community given their horrible job in the past. Investigations also removed from the police, with the justice department made responsible.

Each time there is a problem with violence the politicians and those in control create more policing and spend more on the police. And the people keep supporting this bad policy because it seems like by common sense that more policing is the solution, but it only tends to make things worse. But this never makes much change, and often is more damaging. Constantly attempting the same solution, which is to treat the symptom instead of fixing the problems. And more money for police means less for actually

[Ted Trembinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond Policing is a solid history/primer on the history of American policing and where we can go from here. From the origins of policing to visions of the world after police, this book is a solid reference for anyone interested in police and prison abolition. McHarris builds on Mariame Kaba and Ruth Wilson Gilmore's ideas through both direct quotation and inspiration - I found the final section, titled "An Abolitionist Future" reminiscent of Kaba's short story called "Justice", as I read it in her "We Do This 'Til We Free Us". I found the most compelling parts of this book McHarris' interludes, in which he relates his own experiences with abolition. These sections go beyond the facts, histories, and possible futures and ultimately feel the most unique parts of the book, which has clearly been a great undertaking to assemble. These anecdotes help fuel McHarris' vision beyond policing, as they ground us in real structural problems that, if given more structural care/attention to, would make police irrelevant. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in police abolition and anyone interested in understanding the history and possible futures of policing.

[Jamie Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a really good introductory read for prison abolition, understanding and unlearning carceral thinking and systems we've been socialized to understand as immutable (violence, disparity, crime, poverty, inequity, etc). was really hoping that this would go beyond the introduction of these concepts into policy implementation, the transition of our systems as we know it into a more transformative framework, what that could look like at its everyday levels (municipalities participating in community justice, how funding could divest and invest in alternative forms of accountability, safety, harm reduction...) If you're looking for an overview of abolitionist rhetoric this is a great read.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laughably Dumb? You Decide. This is another of those books where my own experience with the topic absolutely plays into my judgement here, so up front: I'm an Autistic who studied police brutality for years after some... unfortunate... (though mild, comparatively) encounters with police throughout my life. I actually became quite an expert in tracking police murders, helping with a now-defunct project similar to MappingThePolice - MTP being a project McHarris cites in this text. I was also active in CopBlock many years ago after watching its founders have their own unjust encounter with police. I've even known one of the victims - though to be clear, I knew him as a toddler and it was over a decade later that he was murdered by police. I'm a former Libertarian Party official at both State and local levels and 2x rural small town City Council candidate. I've even given a presentation at the Georgia Sociological Association's conference. Which is a lot to say that while Mr. McHarris has me beat as far as degrees go, I'm not some bum off the street who doesn't have both lived and academic experience with this topic as well. :)

As to the title of this review and the substance of the book, really all you need to know here is that Mr. McHarris' aforementioned degree, at least one of them, is in African American studies from Yale. That alone clues you in immediately to the extreme leftist and even racist bent you're going to get from this book, either proclaiming all white people as racist or dismissing white concerns related to the topic. How you feel about that bent is largely how you're going to feel about this book.

But wait! It gets better! First, some truly, truly great things: 1) The documentation, though slanted, is at least reasonably thorough, clocking in at around 20% of the text. Using the Sagan Rule ("extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"), perhaps that might not be enough for the claims of this text. But it *does* fall in line with the norm of my experience with similar texts, and at least some of the sources cited are some of the very same ones I would cite as well, were I writing a book on this topic myself - including The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, Rise Of The Warrior Cop by Radley Balko (whose history of policing is far more complete and balanced than the one McHarris offers in the first third of this text), and Torn Apart by Dorothy Roberts, among others. Furthermore, though from a clearly extreme leftist position, McHarris does indeed offer some interesting ideas at times, delusional though they may be in terms of his exact preference of implementation. But at least he is proposing *something*, and some of the ideas truly have merit.

And then we get to the stuff where you really need to decide how laughable you think they are. For one, McHarris proclaims the LA riots after the Rodney King beating to be an "uprising against police", and uses similar "uprising" language to denote the mass riots of 2020. As if that weren't bad enough, McHarris, while still coming from an "all whites are evil racists" perspective, openly advocates for "direct participatory democracy" to make "all" political decisions. Can you, dear reader of my review, please tell me why that may be a *horrible* idea indeed for minorities? As in, if you truly believe that all white people are evil racists and that there is nothing good about them, why would you want to give them such absolute power in so many areas?

Ultimately, it is this very utopian failure to fully consider his own thoughts and their ramifications that I believe is an objective enough reason to deduct the star here. As noted above, the documentation is reasonably solid enough and McHarris cites some of the very same texts I would (and do) on this topic. Some of the general ideas for moving away from police and of the need to at least consider how it could actually be done are reasonably well thought out, at least in initial conception of end goal and *rough* parameters. But McHarris is clearly blinded by his own ideology in just how doomed to failure so many of his implementations truly are, and for that reason I simply can't award all five stars.

As I said from the beginning, you decide, dear reader of my review, what you're going to think of this book. I absolutely think everyone should read it, just know that roughly half of you, perhaps more, are going to want to defenestrate it from the highest available window fairly early and fairly often. Still, stick through it. Finish it. Review it yourself. And *then* defenestrate it, if you truly need to. :)

Very much recommended.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond Policing: A Critical and Hopeful Vision for the Future

Every once in a while, a book comes along that doesn’t just challenge the status quo but fundamentally reshapes how we think about justice, safety, and accountability. Beyond Policing is one of those books. It is a bold, rigorously researched, and deeply human examination of the role policing plays in our society—what it claims to do, what it actually does, and what alternatives might offer real safety and justice for all.

What I appreciate most about this book is its clarity of purpose. It doesn’t simply critique modern policing as an institution; it goes further, asking the critical question: If policing as we know it doesn’t keep communities safe, then what does? And that’s where this book truly shines—it offers solutions, frameworks, and possibilities that extend beyond slogans and theory into actionable, community-driven alternatives. The argument is neither abstract nor utopian. Instead, the book is grounded in historical examples, empirical data, and real-world efforts where communities have already implemented non-policing models of public safety.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its ability to make complex issues accessible without oversimplifying them. The author masterfully weaves together history, policy analysis, and personal narratives, illustrating the real human impact of policing while also exploring the structural forces that shape it. The writing is engaging and compelling—never dry, never preachy. Whether you are someone deeply embedded in justice work or someone just beginning to question whether policing truly serves its stated purpose, you’ll find this book both informative and thought-provoking.

Another thing that stood out to me was the way Beyond Policing resists the temptation of all-or-nothing thinking. Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all prescription, the book acknowledges the complexities of transforming systems while still making the case that reform is not enough. It argues convincingly that true safety cannot come from a system designed primarily for punishment and control. Instead, the book highlights proven community-led strategies that prioritize mental health support, violence interruption, restorative justice, and resource investment over brute force.

Perhaps the most powerful aspect of this book is its hopeful and forward-looking nature. While the subject matter is heavy and often painful—especially for those who have experienced the harms of policing firsthand—the book never succumbs to despair. Instead, it provides a vision for a world where safety is not equated with surveillance and punishment but with care, support, and mutual aid.

Beyond Policing is not just a book—it’s an invitation to imagine, discuss, and build something better. It challenges us to move past fear-based narratives and look at the evidence: What actually makes people safer? How do we address harm without relying on institutions that so often perpetuate it? And most importantly, how can we take part in shaping the future of justice?

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in justice, social change, and the future of public safety. It’s a necessary read for activists, policymakers, students, and anyone who believes that a better way is possible. Thought-provoking, well-researched, and deeply humane—this book is an essential contribution to one of the most pressing conversations of our time.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good on history of policing and makes a strong case that racist impacts have not been a matter of a few bad apples here and there. Dismissive of "reform" (if only we got rid of qualified immunity, if only police were required to turn on the body camera at all times, if only the police force were more demographically diverse......) efforts and argues instead for abolition of police and essentially emptying out prisons.

I found the case for alternatives a bit less convincing. To his credit he acknowledges that it's a big ask, saying that pretty much everything has to change (do away with racism, poverty, capitalism, inequality, and entrenched attitudes about punishment and safety, and you'll have started to lay the groundwork). Part of it is I guess that our perspectives differ -- he says "Much of police activity is focused on traffic stops, patrol stops, property crimes, and other nonserious events" (p. 101). Seeing/hearing how people drove on the freeway near our house early in the pandemic when traffic was more sparse, i'm not sure I'd classify all traffic stops, let alone property crime, as nonserious.

I was reading this when the Minnesota political assassin was on the loose, so it was on my mind to wonder how a society beyond policing would have handled it. Granted that in general author would want to have long ago diverted the money we put into policing into programs aimed at addressing root causes of violence and making it less likely that guy would have snapped, but assuming such programs are imperfect and that this sort of thing would still happen occasionally, who would stop it? When the neighbor saw him hiding in woods near his home.......you don't want her going after this armed guy herself, right? You don't want to just sit back while he works his way down the very long list of targets found in his car. And whoever she calls for help would have to be armed and trained. And once you have an armed, trained response force for emergency situations, how are we to stop it from becoming like the police in all the ways the author criticizes?

Definitely agree with the author that we could chip away at the mission creep that has characterized policing over the years (no thanks on sending officers into grade schools to administer the ineffectual DARE program for instance), but I'm still having trouble envisioning complete abolition working......

......which ties into my main stylistic concern with the book. He has an impressively detailed awareness of many, many community mediation/violence interruptor/restorative justice etc. programs touted as helpful for moving beyond policing, but for my taste there was way too much hit-and-run reviewing, with lots of programs just named and said to be "promising" without a really deep dive into the research designs, data on their effectiveness, sustainability, scalability, etc.

A lot to ask of one book, I realize, but if he writes a second with more depth on post-policing initiatives for promoting community safety I'll read it with interest

[J Kromrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

In “Beyond Policing,” Philip V. McHarris presents a compelling and meticulously researched vision for a future without police. Drawing from his personal experiences growing up in the Bronx and his extensive academic background, McHarris crafts a narrative that is both deeply personal and profoundly optimistic.

The book begins with a historical overview of the American police force, tracing its origins back to slave patrols and its evolution through various eras, including the Reagan era war on drugs and the 1994 crime act. What sets “Beyond Policing” apart is McHarris’s ability to blend historical analysis with contemporary movements and alternatives to traditional policing. The blend of past and present provides a comprehensive look at the possibilities for a police-free society.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is McHarris’s imaginative approach to envisioning a world without police. He emphasizes the importance of equitable resource distribution and prioritizing lives over property. 

While the text can be repetitive at times, this repetition serves to reinforce the core message of the book: that true public safety can only be achieved through radical reimagining and systemic change. 

For those interested in social justice, public policy, or simply looking for a book that challenges conventional thinking, “Beyond Policing” is a must-read.

[Jen Juenke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book thinking that this was going to be a abolish all of the police and put nothing in its place.

This was not that book. The book starts off with the history of policing and how police move within minority neighborhoods, how much power the police have and what "safety" looks like.

The next part was actual real world examples of cities and counties moving beyond just police departments. I loved learning about all of the different organizations trying different things. Especially CAHOOTS, this organization really seemed to be making difference.

But this book went even further, it talked about the underlying problems of crime....poverty, homelessness, mental illness. All of the systematic ways in which race and poverty have been criminalized.
I really had to applaud the author for including the underlying problems, crime is not created in a vacuum.

The last part was imaging what a future world without police would look like. I really liked this part because it touched upon all of the things the author had wrote about....no police, community programs, no poverty, no racism. It was a beautiful future.

The author did a great job talking about the history, present and future of what policing in the United States could look like.
This is a must read book for anyone who is interested in the future of the role of police in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

[Emily Feldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was really good! I loved the ending, it closed with a beautiful vision for a transformed future. I think that this is a very approachable book for someone who doesn’t know much about abolition or transformative justice, but it also offers new perspectives and knowledge for people who are familiar with those topics. I think that this would be a great book to listen to on audio , especially if you heard the author. I read it, and I don’t know what the author sounds like. It was filled with real examples of community use practicing abolition and putting restorative justice in practice, which I think is very important for both abolitionist and new people to see. It does offer hope and boots on the ground perspective.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good, especially for a first book! In Beyond Policing, Philip McHarris provides a meaningful contribution to our collective discussion on race, policing, and the justice system as a whole. As the the title implies, he focuses on policing specifically, breaking up the book temporally into past (history), present, and possible futures. He provides plenty of supporting evidence while keeping it accessible to most readers. Shouting "defund the police" and "ACAB" aren't likely to move the discourse around policing in a positive direction. Instead, we need a nuanced evaluation of policing and alternative options available so that we can bring informed opinions to these discussions. McHarris certainly provides that.

[lentilsouplover · Rating 4 out of 5]

it’s worth a read and is certainly important but it gets pretty repetitive in the middle and the final chapter is just an imagining of a utopia which is as uncalled for as the concept of utopia itself. all that being said, it starts out incredibly strong with the history of policing and perhaps i would’ve felt differently (better) about the book if i read it quicker instead of spacing it out over two months (my own fault). also McHarris is a great author (despite the repetition) and his accounts of his experiences as an activist as well as his life in Newark support his already air-tight credibility!!

[Symone · Rating 5 out of 5]

McHarris offers a transformative vision for reimagining public safety by shifting our focus away from traditional law enforcement and toward community-based solutions centered on investments in social services, mental health care, and affordable housing— to name a few. This book serves as an incredibly important and practical roadmap for policymakers and the public—challenging readers to envision a future where care and equity are at the forefront of public safety. “Beyond Policing” is an essential read for anyone committed to social justice—from reform to abolition.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t recommend this book enough! It’s a powerful and eye-opening read that really makes you rethink public safety beyond just relying on the police. I loved how it dives into history and personal stories that really help you reflect on the issues we face.

What I appreciate most is that it doesn’t just point out the flaws in our system, it actually gives us a clear path forward. It encourages us to imagine a future where building strong communities takes center stage instead of just policing. This book is definitely worth your time!

Well done!!

[Andrew Eder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good as far as nonfiction goes. I liked the structure and it had a lot of great points. There was a lot that made me think but I also really really liked the ending as they created a vision for a better future.

The reason it’s not rated higher is because it did drag on quite a bit. I think the style or structure held this book back from being great. And maybe it tried to do too much? Or encompass too much? But it did not change my life or anything but was an overall good read!!

[Cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book answered a lot of my questions about the movement to defund and/or abolish the police. I found it informative but a little hard to pay attention to. There were quite a few statistics that I had to replay multiple times so I could picture them more clearly in my head. I don't blame the audiobook or the narrator for this, although I would recommend a physical copy to others, just in case.

[Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

McHarris takes a deep dive into the origins of policing and its role in perpetuating systemic oppression. What makes this book stand out is how it moves beyond critique—offering real, community-based solutions. He challenges the idea that policing keeps us safe and instead shows how safety is built through investment in people, not punishment. A thoroughly researched and compelling argument

[Laiba · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has always believed in reforming the police, this book completely shifted my perspective. McHarris argues that reforms like body cameras and diversity training are just bandaids on a fundamentally broken system. His vision of community-based safety is both radical and hopeful. I finished this book feeling both challenged and inspired.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book presents a compelling argument against policing, but I wish it spent more time on practical implementation. While the historical analysis is excellent, I wanted more real-world examples of successful community safety models. Still, a valuable contribution to the discussion on justice and public safety

[Glacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was initially skeptical, but this book made me reconsider everything I thought I knew about policing. McHarris uses history, data, and personal narratives to build a strong case against traditional law enforcement. His writing is clear and accessible, making this a great read for both activists and those new to these ideas.

[Trayvon Braxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant and thought provoking book. Author does an amazing job providing an overview of the history of policing in our country and inviting you to join a conversation of where we can go from here to achieve true public safety for all citizens.

[Abigail Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such great insight into policing and alternative methods to protecting our communities and keeping everyone safe. I think it’s easy to believe that this is just how it needs to be but Phil goes deeper into various phenomena to further our imagination.

[Luz · Rating 5 out of 5]

THANK YOU for this timeless body of work! The author clearly took his time to research and compile history and critical data to truly imagine a world where we all have what we all need.

[Reggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is put together nicely - explaining the history of policing, the failures & the alternates to those failures. Not only discussing why, but how to achieve a world without policing.

[alexis berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated the push to think beyond the world we know and truly do the work of imagining a better (abolitionist) future

[Riana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful and necessary book. McHarris lays out the case against policing with undeniable clarity. A must-read!