Policing the Black Man: Arrest, Prosecution, and Imprisonment

by Angela J. Davis (Editor)

A comprehensive, readable analysis of the key issues of the Black Lives Matter movement, this thought-provoking and compelling anthology features essays by some of the nation’s most influential and respected criminal justice experts and legal scholars.

Policing the Black Man explores and critiques the many ways the criminal justice system impacts the lives of African American boys and men at every stage of the criminal process, from arrest through sentencing.  Essays range from an explication of the historical roots of racism in the criminal justice system to an examination of modern-day police killings of unarmed black men. The contributors discuss and explain racial profiling, the power and discretion of police and prosecutors, the role of implicit bias, the racial impact of police and prosecutorial decisions, the disproportionate imprisonment of black men, the collateral consequences of mass incarceration, and the Supreme Court’s failure to provide meaningful remedies for the injustices in the criminal justice system. Policing the Black Man is an enlightening must-read for anyone interested in the critical issues of race and justice in America. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Race, Politics, Social Justice, History, Essays, Anti Racist

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 11, 2017

About the author

Angela J. Davis, professor of law at AU's Washington College of Law, is an expert in criminal law and procedure with a specific focus on prosecutorial power and racism in the criminal justice system. Davis previously served as director of the D.C. Public Defender Service, where she began as a staff attorney representing indigent juveniles and adults. She also served as executive director of the National Rainbow Coalition and is a former law clerk of the Honorable Theodore R. Newman, the former Chief Judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals. Davis is the author of Arbitrary Justice: The Power of the American Prosecutor (Oxford University Press 2007). She is also the co-editor of Criminal Law (Sage Publications 2015) (with Professor Katheryn Russell-Brown), Trial Stories (Foundation Press 2007) (with Professor Michael E. Tigar) and the 6th edition of Basic Criminal Procedure (Thomson West 2012) (with Professors Stephen Saltzburg and Daniel Capra). Davis' other scholarly publications include articles in the Michigan, Iowa, Fordham, and Hofstra Law Reviews. Davis won the Pauline Ruyle Moore award for Arbitrary Justice: The Power of the American Prosecutor in 2009 and for her Fordham Law Review article, Prosecution and Race: The Power and Privilege of Discretion in 2000. Davis was awarded a Soros Senior Justice Fellowship in 2003. She won the American University Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award in 2015, the American University Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Research, Creative Activity, and Other Professional Contributions in 2009 and the American University Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching in a Full-Time Appointment in 2002.

Reviews

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, it has only been in this age of smart phone video and body cams that I became fully aware of the extent and the depth of questionable police reactions to black men as suspects. This collection of essays shines a light on racism and criminal justice in the USA.

Within the past decade, there are now a host of black boys and men whose names have a public familiarity since their deaths (mostly shot by white men). These tragic few (who are recognized by name) are reminders that there are broader issues of “policing the black man” that need to be considered.

As Patrick Moynihan once responded: “…you have a right to your own opinion, but not to your own facts…” By most objective standards, it is almost impossible to disagree with Professor Davis when she writes: “…these killings also inspired the contributing authors to think about all the ways that black men are ‘policed’---in the broad sense of the word---heavily and harshly at every step of the criminal process. In fact, black men are policed and treated worse than their similarly situated white counterparts at every step of the criminal justice system, from arrest through sentencing. These unwarranted disparities exist whether black men are charged with crimes OR ARE VICTIMS OF CRIMES.” (emphasis added)

“The ending of slavery hardly did away with the racist ideology created to defend it. ‘Freeing’ the nation’s masses of enslaved black people without undertaking the hard work of deconstructing the narrative of their inferiority* doomed those freedmen and –women and their descendants to a fate of subordination and second-class citizenship. In place of slavery, belief in a racial hierarchy took virulent expression in newly defined social norms, including lynching and other forms of racial terrorism; segregation and Jim Crow; and UNPRECEDENTED MASS INCARCERATION.” (emphasis added)

* "Advocates of slavery argued that science and religion supported the fact of whites’ racial superiority: white people were smart, hardworking, and more intellectually and morally evolved, while black people were dumb, lazy, childlike, and in need of guidance and supervision.”

It was fortunate that the book is broken down into various essays, because I needed to take breaks to reflect and recover from the impacts of certain sections. The topics overlap somewhat and that proved useful, at times, providing more than one perspective. The level of scholarship seems high but you will find differences in style and presentation skill. I felt that those sections by Davis were some of the best.

With some good fortune books, such as this one, will encourage us to have discussions. Some of the topics should include:

How to we help police, who have some of the most difficult tasks in our society, to make better choices?

And how do we help our law enforcement officers learn from the choices that they make?

How do we ensure better outcomes for people of color both as suspects and as victims?

How do we review actions of those charged with serving and protecting?

What do we do to integrate back into our society those who have criminal records?

How do we make all of us feel safe and how do we make all of us feel that the criminal justice system is fair?

[Jenna ❤ ❀ ❤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important and informative but unfortunately far too redundant. This is a book of essays about Black men and the criminal justice system. The introduction and the first few essays were terrific but after that, they overlapped and repeated material from the previous essays.

I think it would be better to read an essay a week rather than a front to back book. After the halfway mark, I was bored with this collection, though it is vastly relevant and timely. Also, there wasn't much in this collection that I haven't read elsewhere, though those who haven't read much on the subject will no doubt find it far more informative.

5 stars for importance but sadly, because of the redundancy, I can only grant it 3.

[Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an important book for scholars, legal practitioners and the general public who are concerned about issues of racial injustice in America. Policing the Black Man is a collection of essays that covers how Black men are policed from the time they are arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned. The essays on arrests were good but I didn't feel like I learned anything new. However, the essays on the issues of prosecution and imprisonment were eye opening to me. One of the biggest takeaways is that we need more prosecutors who are willing to address racial disparities in the system. Ultimately, you will learn that the criminal justice system is fundamentally unfair to Black men when they are victims and when they are perpetuators of crime. The only way to tackle these issues is to address them head on. We need more implicit bias training for cops, more prosecutors who will indict cops who kill unarmed Black people, and less mandatory minimum sentences so that judges can use more discretion on low level offenses.

[Sarah A-F · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOTE: I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This in no way impacts my review.

Policing the Black Man is a collection of essays detailing both the history of racism in the United States' criminal justice system and the issues we face today. These essays were written by various criminal justice experts. The essays are strongly connected to modern issues, discussing recent killings of black men by police and the Black Lives Matter movement. 

The essays are laid out in a common sense manner, beginning with the roots of racism in criminal justice and moving forward to where we are today. They are all extremely well-written and, for the most part, easily digestible by the layperson. Some of the material presented was things I already knew, but the details and additional statistics provided allowed me to more fully grasp what has been going on. A decent amount of the material provided was brand new to me--for instance, I had no idea to what extent prosecutors were involved in racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

This book was extremely eye-opening to me, particularly as a white woman of relative privilege. This book provided everything I look for in a non-fiction book, from good writing to fascinating content. I highlighted endlessly, whenever notable statistics or vital information came up. Its only downfall was that a handful of sections became a little too technical at times and I got lost in them. Otherwise, this was an incredibly important read that I recommend to all, particularly those with an interest in racial relations and/or the criminal justice system.

[Karen Ashmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I thought this was written by THE Angela Davis but I looked at the author's photo on the book jacket and realized it was a different Angela Davis. Nonetheless, this collection of essays was an interesting read although nothing I had not read before. But I am well read on this topic. Because these are essays by different authors, the quality of prose varied and some tended to be data laden, which is good if research is what you are looking for.

[Carmel Hanes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read or listened to a number of books on racial disparities that continue to exist, despite laws claiming to level the playing field for all. Because of that history, the information given in this book was not new to me, but still a mostly welcome reminder of things I/we need to keep whittling away at until we've picked all the nasty parts off this unfair beast. Being a collection of essays rather than one cohesive narrative, there was repetition even within the covers, which did get a smidge tedious at times. The four stars represents my view of the importance of the content, and what it offers someone less familiar with the issues under discussion.

As the title suggests, it covers a lot of ground regarding the disparities in arrests, prosecution and imprisonment between primarily black and white people. As such, it covers attitudes and practices of police, choices made by prosecutors and grand juries, and decisions made by juries and judges regarding guilt/innocence and appropriate punishment. The authors provide statistics that are sometimes shocking, as well drawing lines between historical facts and where we are now. Of particular relevance are references to recent killings of unarmed black men and boys.

I was particularly interested in the discussion regarding implicit bias (on the part of police as well as average citizens); how it forms, what perpetuates it, how it plays into spontaneous reactions, and what might be done to combat it. Paired with that discussion was information regarding motivators. This area of discussion offered several important points giving food for thought:
--Pride and a need for respect is more important than punishment in influencing attitudes and behavior
--Implicit bias affects us all
--Changing policies is more effective than trying to change implicit bias
--Many police officers show less implicit bias than average citizens, likely due to some of their training and experiences
--We can fight implicit bias through education and experiences
--We want to be positively regarded in the groups we identify with, which leads to choices to keep that status enhancement even in the face of punishment
--prosecutors have extensive power over lives in determining who will be prosecuted and who may not be, which charges to file, what plea bargains are offered; all of which is often influenced by that implicit bias

Clearly we have work to do to change these awful injustices. Books like this, which clearly lay out the issues involved are a good place for many to start if they've been unaware of just how pervasive this problem is. By doing so, as a collective people we can continue to demand and expect changes that will live up to our country's stated values.

[Donna Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hard look at the American penal system--from cops, to court, to prison--is past due, and within this scholarly but crystal-clear series of essays, the broken justice system that still rules unequally over all inside USA borders is viewed under a bright light. Isn’t it about time? Thank you to Doubleday and Net Galley for the DRC. It’s for sale, and anyone with an interest in seeing change should read it. Caucasian readers that still can’t figure out why so many African-Americans are so upset should buy this book at full price, and they should read it twice. If you read this collection and still don’t understand why most Civil Rights advocates are calling out that Black Lives Matter, it likely means you didn’t want to know. But bring your literacy skills when you come; well documented and flawless in both reason and presentation, it’s not a book that individuals without college-ready reading skills will be able to master.

The most horrifying aspect of American policing and prosecution is the way that Black boys are targeted. Sometimes only 10 or 12 years of age, they find themselves in the crosshairs of suspicion and implicit bias no matter what they do. Of course, the presumption that someone is violent, is dangerous, is guilty is never acceptable, and men and women all over the USA have seen it happen. However, most cultures hold their children dearest, and so what happens when every African-American boy grows up knowing that cops will assume he has done something wrong because he has stopped on the street corner, or not stopped; walked too slowly, or too quickly; looked away, or looked around, or down; what happens when an entire subset of the US population knows that it was essentially outlawed from the cradle?

Those that care about justice won’t want to read this collection while eating, and you won’t want to read it at bedtime, either. How do you swallow? How do you fall asleep when what you want to do is hit a wall? This reviewer’s own family is racially mixed, and when I consider the easy good humor of the Black men in my family, I wonder how they do it. And yet I know the answer: you can’t be angry seven days a week or your life is already over. They face American racism with fatalistic humor and get on with their lives.

That shouldn’t be necessary.

These essays each zero in one particular area of policing. Implicit bias is addressed, as is the failure of the US government to even admit that a problem exists. The Supreme Court has adopted the ivory-tower position that American justice is colorblind, centuries of evidence to the contrary notwithstanding. There is no database at all regarding the deaths of Black boys and men by cops, and no requirement that anyone keep track. Does it make a difference if the prosecutor is Black? There’s no data. None.

And did you know that 95% of the people charged with a crime plead guilty? Prosecutors hold so much power that often a completely innocent person can be persuaded not to risk having an extra charge, and extra time, tacked on. Prosecutors get to decide whether a crime should be pursued as a state crime, which has far more lenient implications, or as a felony. Cops are out in the public eye—and thank goodness they are—but prosecutors do things quietly, often behind closed doors.

Davis’s own article alone is worth the purchase price of this collection, but once you have it in your hands, you will want to read the whole thing; and you should. You should do it, and then you should become involved. Protest in the way you are able, but don’t sit idly by and watch. Protest, because Black Lives Matter, and until this country admits that it has a race problem, how can any of us breathe?

[Vnunez-Ms_luv2read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that should be read by all. This is a detailed, essay formatted book on racism. This book covers many different basis such from the past to the present. What I truly enjoyed about the book was the statistics and facts to back up what had been written. I did learn some new things. With the climate of the world today, I wish everyone would read this book. The insight is magnificent. I will be buying this book for family and friends. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

[Allee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Gus for sending me an advance copy! I feel like such an insider. Sorry for the review I'm about to leave...

Maybe it's because I'm already pretty immersed in this area of work, but this book had very little to offer in terms of any new or interesting insights or analysis, and it suffered from a severe lack of imagination. As always in an essay collection there are highlights and lowlights but really the only highlight of this book was Bryan Stevenson's piece tracing how capital punishment evolved out of extrajudicial lynchings in the early 20th century. The rest of the book ranged from ho hum to borderline infuriating in its refusal to dig past surface level analysis. Like, did you know implicit bias is a thing?! Did you know courts set a high bar for discrimination claims?! Did you know prosecutors have a lot of discretion and use it in racially biased ways?! I guess perhaps because I've basically taken a class on each one of those topics I was like DUHHH let's get somewhere innovative now. But the only solutions the authors had were minor tweaks and reforms. Sure, better training of the police is toootally going to eradicate implicit bias. What about instead questioning the very function and role of the police? But this is not a book that is going to go there. Perhaps the target audience is the newly woke who are just now hearing about this 'mass incarceration' thing and it will give them a couple great talking points for the water cooler.

[Corvus · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rather. I admit, it was my fault that I mistook Angela J. Davis (the law professor, editor, and author of some essays) for Angela Y. Davis (the famous, brilliant Black liberation activist, writer, scholar, and many other things.) When I saw the title I just made the assumption that it was the latter Angela Davis and that the book would be full of essays about prison abolition, the problems with authoritarianism and the police, solutions for Black liberation, and so on. What I got instead was an academic text that seems like it would go over well in an introductory class in law school where the students are predominantly non-Black and inexperienced with the topic at hand- an extremely important topic that I wish this book handled better.

The first essay was promising which catalogued the history of lynching and authoritarianism and how if fits in with today's policing. There were some gems of knowledge peppered throughout other essays that the general layman would benefit from- especially about prosecutors, grand juries, and implicit bias. Most of the rest of the book was extremely repetitive, dry, and very centrist liberal, reformist rather than abolitionist, and downright praising of police. One guy even used the "a few bad apples/rogue actors" phrase and called most cops "heroes." Another person's entire essay couched every critique of racist, anti-Black policing in fawning complements of police officers in general. There was not a single essay aside from the first that I noticed making an argument or critique of the police force and prison industrial complex in general- all of it simply suggested there were these few broken issues that we could fix with a cop education program here and there and a Black prosecutor. It was at this point that I was asking myself, "Why on Earth would Angela Davis include these essays in her book?!" I then went to read some reviews and on brought my ignorant mistake to my attention.

The book is also poorly edited. I lost count of how many times there were extremely long slogs through defining and representing what implicit bias is and why it is wrong. Many essays catalogued the same court cases over and over. I sometimes wondered if I had some sort of cognitive lapse and did not realize I started the book over as some things were so repetitive. Some overlap and repetition is to be expected in anthologies, no doubt. But, the amount in this one was overkill. It means the book only really serves as something you read one essay out of, not something you want to read all of. And, why not just read online if you're going to read only one paper?

I do think this book has its place which is why I didn't give it a 1 or 2 star review. A white liberal middle class kid steeped in white privilege may need this kind of book as a stepping stone. Early law students who trust the system and the police unconditionally may need to understand the basics in this book in a way that is not heavy handed. People who balk at the idea of internalized white supremacy may better grasp the concept of "implicit bias" as it lets them off the hook in a way. People who need to understand more complicated definitions of racial profiling or of the basics of how court systems work could benefit. I would hope that these things would then lead them to more radical thought down the line. I am not saying I learned nothing from this. There were definitely things I picked up. But, what I picked up out of this entire book could have been conveyed to me in a long newpaper article. Perhaps if I went in with different expectations and the right Angela Davis in mind, I would have felt differently.

.........

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of eleven essays about the injustice when it comes to the criminal justice system and African Americans.
Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This was a very persuasive, informative book on the unfairness in how African Americans are treated in this country. This book was extremely well written and well researched. It brought all the facts to the forefront. And the astonishing facts you will read about in this book are difficult to ignore. My favorite essays were "Boys to Men: The Role of Policing in the Socialization of Black Boys" by Kristin Henning. This essay was particularly important because it discussed children, our upcoming generations of children and how they are affected growing up in a country where our criminal justice system unfairly treats African Americans. My other favorite essay was "The Prosecution of Black Men" by Angela J. Davis because it was the essay that I learned the most. Like others I was focusing on the police and did not realize how huge of an impact prosecutors have in the unjust treatment of African Americans. The only criticism I have of this book is it was a bit repetitive. But being repetitive for this country to change we probably need to hear this over and over again. I think this book should be read in schools, basically everyone should read this book. But it should first be a mandatory read for police officers and everyone involved in our criminal justice system.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Angela J. Davis (including all the authors who were a part of this book) and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
For more book reviews come and read my book blog at: http://turnthepagereviewsbyjill.blogs...

[Chuy Ruiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of essays and speeches. Definitely informative, though disheartening at the lack of progress in this area in our society.

[Austin Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has gone back and forth between a four and five star for me. I always come into books like this thinking, "What else is there to learn?" about relatively nuanced and covered subjects—and every time I am surprised. This felt like I got to go ten times deeper into the complex systems in play with our policing and justice system. This book took the original Super Mario game on a Gameboy and made it look like it was in HD: pixelated topics into clear as day clarity.

From learning about crime, prison, our justice system, etc. since Reconstruction, it is very apparent that there is a disproportionate surveillance and arresting of black men in the United States. This book looks at the factors that play into that, including implicit bias, the role of prosecutors, accountability of police, and much more.

I think in a time where we are hearing a ton of shouts to defund or get rid of the police all together, this book gives some decent exposure to why that should potentially happen, and what it could look like. Our idea of justice in America needs to be reimagined, no doubt about that.

[Gwen - Chew & Digest Books - · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important, but a long slog unless you are interested in the problem and repetitive even then because of the different authors bringing up some of the same individual shootings again in their own essays.

What galls me is that it all seems so freaking obvious and yet the idiot bigots are still out there spreading their lies and vile crap. Policing, prosecutors, and sentencing all need to be color blind and until we get there, all will suffer, especially the black male.

[Miroku Nemeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finishing this book on the day after white supremacist mobs "supporting" their delusional imaginings placed in the hate-monger demagogue Donald Trump stormed the capital building in Washington, D.C., after a year highlighting the deep hypocrisy of many white Americans and their inability to come to terms with the actual history and present day reality of this virulent cancer of institutional racism at the heart of this white settler colonial enterprise called the United States of America has been a profoundly sad, but edifying, experience. This is an excellent anthology of essays on the policing of the Black man, far more balanced and much less polemic than it would seem with Angela Davis as its editor. Not that I don't respect Angela Davis, because anyone who knows the terrorism she and her community faced just to exist from her childhood onward to her activism defending herself against the entire machinery of the State has to respect her, but sometimes the radical nature of an individual's politics can cause people to reject even the most solidly researched data. This is NOT an ideologically-driven collection of polemic essays. It is an anthology of essays from independent scholars who back their analyses and their recommendations with empirical data, a solid historical framework, and academic rigor. My favorite essays include the first essay in the book, from Bryan Stevenson, which traces the actual history of policing in America and its institutional racism in a real and balanced way. The book is yet another clear proof of systemic and institutional racism in America, something that shouldn't even need academic proof if you care in the slightest bit about Black folk or other historically oppressed and marginalized folk and have an atom's weight of empathy in your heart, but Americans generally aren't taught actual history and are instead indoctrinated from their earliest years in the education system with white supremacist and white nationalist mythology. And let's be honest, if the last few years and the last few months and the last couple of days haven't taught us that most Americans are ignorant of history, are easily manipulated to believe conspiracy theories and to worship the cheapest and most pathetic imaginable idols of the most crass composition to emerge from the bowels of rapacious American capitalism, and have, indeed, compounded their ignorance with what we must also recognize as stupidity, then we have learned nothing.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, finally a book that offers some cleared statements about this issue.. and some rational suggestions. I noticed that several of the essays offer suggestions of what they believe the police could do to have better service to minority communities... and admit that there are problems within the minority communities that only the police can solve.

It seems that the yelling and the screaming is quieted and academic, rational discussion seems possible.

There are jack asses everywhere, in every walk of life and nobody is completely innocent. This book was published in 2017 and to be honest, I like that there are a variety of essays that address various aspects of the issue at large. I found most of these presented in a fairly factual manner and covers the entire system... including the law, the prosecutor, and the correctional system. I think the title is misleading with Policing being the lead.. I don't have to agree with all of the ideas presented, but I do agree that much of what is said, as an academic, I was already aware of most.
One thing I completely agree with is whether or not Police need to be in the public school system. I, personally vote NO. I think that this weakens the authority of the school district and certainly only serves to open and enhance the k to 12 pipelines to prison... But it seems that we have moved from personal responsibility and discipline as a whole among children and schools are frightened, I assume, mostly of the liability of disciplining children for transgressions that used to be settled by Coachs and their paddles. Now, the police are expected to provide for schoolboy discipline, something that I do not think the police should be doing at all... schools should be a safe place, including childhood discipline issues... If officers are going to remain in the schools, then the schools need to step to the plate.

Have some of the laws been racially motivated? OH MY GOD... can we all say CRACK v powder? How does powder get less time than crack... OH wait, Crack is more prevalent in minority communities... Federal sentencing guidelines have seemed slanted so that Blacks are subject to more years.

If Bryan Stevenson can't change or sway your mind, then you are not even human. Who cannot admire him?

4 stars

Happy Reading!

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive look at the plight of blacks in America since the first landing of white men. What a black (no pun intended) eye on the face of this country. It shows, through facts, that the treatment of African Americans by the white race is equal to Hitler’s treatment of the Jews - only here it still exists. Case in point is the acquittal of George Zimmerman. Bigotry and prejudice are still alive and well in the US with no end in sight. 😢

[João · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many claims in activist and media circles about racial disparities in policing, sentencing, convicting, serving, etc. Certainly there is a lot of anecdotal evidence for such phenomena. This book is a collection of essays that analyze, document and explain these phenomena in a more academic tone, with references and statistics.

It isn't the most exciting read, but it is an important one if we are to remain grounded in reality, and want to implement policies (some of which are suggested in these writings) that work and address underlying problems and not symptoms.

[Justice Simanek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good information, but is a very surface level understanding of the criminal system. I was expecting essays about the need to completely overhaul the American police and carceral system, but that is not what I got. Instead, while some essays were very critical of police, others were almost apologetic and touted reforms instead of abolition. The solutions offered are band aids that have not been proven to work. (Also don’t get the editor, Angela J. Davis, confused with abolitionist and icon Angela Y. Davis).

[sage stenhaug :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“what distinguishes the United States from these other nations is our unwillingness to confront our history in a public or meaningful way”

my rating doesn’t take away from how important this information is

public ignorance enables this institutionalized racism to continue with little to no consequences. i am just so disappointed by how this country handles issues such as racism. while I had a baseline knowledge of some of the topics presented in this book, some of these essays were so eye opening to the extent and the history of the racism in the “justice” system.

[Georgia Swadling · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The causes, scope, and consequences of mass incarceration have contributed to a cycle of poverty and violence, producing a novel kind of embedded social inequality that prevents the full participation of blacks in American social and political life.” Jeremy Travis and Bruce Western, ‘Poverty, Violence, and Black Incarceration’

an absolute must read for anyone interested in american police brutality, racism, incarceration and the american justice system and the ways these intersect.
very little in this is particularly shocking for anyone that has been following the Black Lives Matter movement for the last ten years or so but it’s nonetheless heart wrenching and depressing. this anthology of essays written by scholars (predominantly law professors) authors and activists systematically breaks down every step of america’s flawed justice system and the racism inherent to it.
from essay to essay you’ll learn about how black men and boys are racially profiled by police, treated more harshly (whether they’re arrested or not) and are more likely to be arrested than their white peers. they are then met with a higher chance of being prosecuted, a higher chance of being given a longer sentence and a higher chance of being denied parole.
the negative impact of this accumulates exponentially as black communities with large numbers of men and boys incarcerated and with criminal records have higher unemployment, more crime, and more children growing up in poverty and within a broken family dynamic. this generational trauma has been unbroken since slavery as the american justice system has smoothly replaced enslavement of one form for another.
there were so many fantastic ideas for reform within this book but before real change can take effect the extent of the problem has to be realised, and books like this are how that’s going to happen.

[Andrew Eder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very good. Very good and should potentially be required reading good?? It is a collection of essays, so it goes relatively fast. It’s engaging, research driven, and very well written. Why only three stars?

-1 star: This was a very beginner book, though it’s on nearly every reading list regarding policing and prisons. I felt like there was a lot of persuasion for buy in and belief. Sometimes I wish there were parts of books that said like “Already believe this? Skip to page 200.” The essays and information was GOOD! Just stuff i’ve already read and heard before, so that was a bit of a let down.

-1 which really should be -2 stars but i’m being nice. I got the sense that the “solution” in this book was mediating between police and communities, healing the relationship, investing MORE into the system of police in order to mend what has been broken. Absolutely not. Abolition. This system cannot be reformed. It was created for the EXACT purpose it is serving now; control over bodies and property and NOTHING about “community safety”. I was very disappointed that such a popular book in the world of policing literature advocated for reform of ANY KIND.

Again, beginner book to get buy in. I’d recommend, only because the body of literature on this topic isn’t exactly overflowing, so options are limited.

[Chan Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.)

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Policing the Black Man", edited by Angela Davis, is an anthology of essays by various scholars, lawyers, and activists dealing with racial disparity in the criminal justice system. While not all essays are equally digestible on first read, still people interested in a deeper understanding and underlying concerns of the "Black Lives Matter" movement should find the book worthwhile.

The essays are:
1. A Presumption of Guilt​, by Bryan Stevenson ​​
2. The Endurance of Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System, by Mar​c Mauer.
3. Boys to Men, the Role of Policing in the Socialization of Black Boys, by Kristen Henning
4. Racial Profiling, the Law, the Policy, and the Practice, by Ren​e​e McDonne​l​l Hutchins.
5. Black Men and the Police: Making Implicit Bias Explicit, by Kath​e​rine Russell​-Brown.
6. Policing, a Model for the 21st Century, by Tracey Meares and Tom Tyler
7. The Prosecution of Black Men, by Angela Davis
8. The Grand Jury, and Police Violence Against Black Men, by Roger A Fairfax Jr.
9. Elected Prosecutors, and Police Accountability, by Ronald F. Wright
10. Do Black Lives Matter to the Courts?, by ​Sherrilyn Ifill and Ji​n​ He​e​ Lee.
11. Poverty, Violence, and Black Incarceration, by Jeremy Travis and Bruce Western.

The essays provide many examples of racial injustice in the criminal justice system. A target audience for the book would include citizens in general, and especially individuals involved in the criminal justice system, from policemen to prosecutors to judges to lawmakers. All could gain insights into the black perspective by reading this book. What's not included is a introspective review of why some unfortunate interactions between policemen and black men continue to occur. If two sides are ​seen as continually being in conflict, it's possible of course that one side is prejudiced, evil, and always wrong, while the other side is always victimized. However, it's also possible that there are two sides to the story, and ​there's ​a need for both sides to understand the issues through the eyes of the other.

For example, one of the essays provides a summary of school based arrests in McKinney, TX: Disorderly conduct and classroom disruption were most common offenses from 2012 to 2015. ​Troubling was that African American students made up only 13% of school population, but accounted for 53% of disorderly conduct arrests, and 43% of classroom disruption charges. ​Similarly, in Delaware, black​s accounted for​ 57% of student arrests, but ​only ​32% of the student body. ​Is this a clear example of racial bias by schools, police, and prosecutors? Possibly. I absolutely believe there are teachers or school administrators eager to discipline a minority student, yet give a white student a second (or third) chance. But I also wonder if that was the cause of these discrepancies. It wasn't explored fully in this book. I've seen and heard how some students behave in some inner city schools, and teachers sometimes have to be given bonuses or incentives to work in those schools. So in some cases, I wonder if the statistics indicate a clear racial bias, or if disciplinary problems and acting out in the schools is a problem especially among minority students, justifying the numbers. There wasn't much background to answer that question.

The third essay, Kristin Henning's "Boys to Men, the Role of Policing in the Socialization of Black Boys​", points out that black youth are conditioned by encounters and observations to distrust police, setting up confrontational behavior. ​But that confrontational behavior ​puts the police on guard, and may ​reinforce any bias or expectations police may have. ​ When police interact with young men, they may come on as being too aggressive or hostile. But even if they don't, based on prior conditioning, youths may speak out, question authority, challenge orders, or run​ from police​ - all which may lead to elevated police hostility. Running especially increases a level of suspicion of guilty behavior, adding tension to the situation. ​​Clearly, a teenage black boy with previous bad experiences may choose to run ​from a policeman ​to avoid being hurt or harassed. But flight infers guilt, or at least added suspicion. ​

Confrontation with a policeman is a losing situation. Bank tellers, liquor store clerks, convenience store workers are typically trained not to confront a robber - to just comply with the robber's wishes. Yet when confronted by a policeman, some people feel entitled or encouraged to "stand up" to him or her rather than comply with the officer. Both sides need to change that kind of behavior​. This book gives insights into what some black men may feel when confronted by the police. Police need to become aware of that, to be sensitive to that, and be trained to deescelate situations when faced with youths conditioned to distrust the police.

This book certainly deals with difficult issues, and provides a good basis to start a dialogue and a review of police training. Also needed is to address all the underlying causes of criminal justice system inequalities.

As our 44th President stated, "​When any part of the American family does not feel like it is being treated fairly, that's a problem for all of us". So there's work to be done, starting with gaining some of the understandings as offered in these essays.

[Gabe Aderhold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book is a collection of academic essays and dialogues about people of color and our criminal justice system (from police encounters to prisons). All the essays are well worth the read, containing easily digestible but important information about systemic racism in our society. Because each essay is written by a different author, the book doesn’t “flow” amazingly, but it doesn’t detract from the quality content each author provides. Overall, good book and important read.

[Mayra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of essays where the authors examine and explain the policing of black men in the United States. The extraordinary disproportionate mistreatment of black boys and men at every step of the criminal justice system is explored in depth. I didn't give it 5 stars only because some essays were repetitive or tough to get through due to the writing style. These essays hold important and poignant information that is not necessarily surprising, though.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly different essays on recent unarmed African-American men who were shot and killed by non-African-American police officers. This book did a great job explaining the role of prosecutors (who are mostly Caucasian nationwide). It’s so important to be aware of one’s local politics and to vote in local, state, and national elections!

[Rebekah Berlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the legal system, especially the role of prosecutors. It was exciting thinking about how much the national conversation on some of these topics had evolved since these essays were written in 2016-17.

[Sydney Apel]

I'll echo other reviews that I've read and says this is an excellent reference point for scholars and policy makers to understand the how and why of implicit bias in policing, as well as our justice system. It also introduce practical steps on how to combat these injustices. However, I don't think I would recommend this to the average person looking to better understand how implicit bias or racism in our justice system, as many of the essays feel incredibly dry and research/information heavy.

[Lisa Houlihan]

BR2018-14: A book of social science.

Meticulous research and relentless rage.