The Color of Crime: 1st Edition

by Katheryn Russell-Brown, Katheryn K. Russell

An essential analysis of how policing and crime are systematically linked with people of color

When Americans are asked what concerns them most about the direction of the country, crime and racial tensions invariably figure prominently in the answer. In the minds of many, these two problems are inextricably linked. Yet opinions and beliefs about race and crime are often informed as much by myth and preconception as by fact and reality.

In this important book, Katheryn K. Russell surveys the landscape of American crime and identifies some of the country's most significant racial pathologies. Why do Black and White Americans perceive police actions so differently? Is White fear of Black crime justified? Do African Americans really "protect their own"? Should they?

Perhaps the most explosive and troublesome phenomenon at the nexus of race and crime is the racial hoax--a contemporary version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Examining both White-on-Black hoaxes such as Susan Smith's and Charles Stuart's claims that Black men were responsible for crimes they themselves committed, and Black-on-White hoaxes such as the Tawana Brawley episode, Russell illustrates the formidable and lasting damage that occurs when racial stereotypes are manipulated and exploited for personal advantage. She shows us how such hoaxes have disastrous consequences and compellingly argues for harsher punishments for offenders.

Stressing that journalists, scholars, and policymakers alike have an ethical imperative to disregard and refute inflammatory or wrong-headed work on race, The Color of Crime is a lucid and forceful book, impossible to ignore.

Genres: Nonfiction, Race, Politics, Law, Sociology, History, Feminism

203 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1997

Reviews

[Briar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise and informative. The author does an excellent job at explaining the basics. If unsure where to start or how to explain these topics, this book will help.

[Shane Schirmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be an interesting read, but instead I was treated to a lot of the same old, same old. Quantum leaps, jumping to conclusions, and disappointing backup of points written as fact. Russell-Brown certainly seems like an interesting, intelligent person, but the information seemed a bit thin. For instance, she claims that lynchings were advertised in local papers in the early 1900s. She goes on to quote a piece by W.E.B. DuBois, stating that this was the case, regarding a 1917 lynching. Unfortunately, neither the author, nor DuBois, references what publication this lynching was advertised in. This is just one of countless examples in this book of the documentation for accused events runs a bit thin.
I’m happy I read the book, as I found her point of view interesting, but it should be read with the knowledge that nothing groundbreaking is going to be exposed.

[Kendall Lauber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a really important and well done book, and especially impressive that it was first published over 25 years ago. Reads a lot like a textbook, which does make sense! Some chapters felt a little disconnected from each other but still definitely a worthwhile read

[fayth]

read for a class and really enjoyed it