The 2020 deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor rekindled decades old concerns about the legitimacy of policing. They ignited the international recognition that Black people are subjected to forms of police violence that exceed the boundaries of formal law and human decency. This book confirms that the Floyd and Taylor cases are not isolated incidents and provides suggestions toward prevention. The contributors to the book have served on both sides of the criminal legal system. They have been those who were tasked with enforcing the law and those who have been subject to law enforcement. Consequently, they are able to identify specific failures of a system that focuses on race, specifically Blackness, as a primary indicator of criminal propensity. Through these chapters, the authors suggest academically, morally and practically sound corrective measures for moving toward a goal of equal, rather than discriminatory and excessively harmful, treatment under the law. This book will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of Criminology, Race and Ethnic Studies, Politics, Human Rights, and Political Sociology. It was originally published as a special issue in the Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice.

Relying on a multidisciplinary framework of inquiry and critical perspective, this edited volume addresses the unique experiences of Black males within various stages of contact in the criminal justice system. It provides a comprehensive overview of the administration of justice, mental and physical health issues faced by Black males, and reintegration into society after system involvement. Recent events-including but by no means limited to the shootings of unarmed Black men by police in Ferguson, Missouri; Baltimore; Minneapolis; and Chicago-have highlighted the disproportionate likelihood of young Black males to encounter the criminal justice system. Black Males and the Criminal Justice System provides a theoretical and empirical review of the need for an intersectional understanding of Black male experiences and outcomes within the criminal justice system. The intersectional approach, which posits that outcomes of societal experiences are determined by the way the interconnected identities of individuals are perceived and responded to by others, is key to recognizing the various forms of oppression that Black males experience, and the impact these experiences have on them and their families. This book is intended for students and scholars in criminology, criminal justice, sociology, race/ethnic studies, legal studies, psychology, and African American Studies, and will serve as a reference for researchers who wish to utilize a progressive theoretical approach to study social control, policing, and the criminal justice system.

Relying on a multidisciplinary framework of inquiry and critical perspective, this edited volume addresses the unique experiences of Black males within various stages of contact in the criminal justice system. It provides a comprehensive overview of the administration of justice, mental and physical health issues faced by Black males, and reintegration into society after system involvement. Recent events-including but by no means limited to the shootings of unarmed Black men by police in Ferguson, Missouri; Baltimore; Minneapolis; and Chicago-have highlighted the disproportionate likelihood of young Black males to encounter the criminal justice system. Black Males and the Criminal Justice System provides a theoretical and empirical review of the need for an intersectional understanding of Black male experiences and outcomes within the criminal justice system. The intersectional approach, which posits that outcomes of societal experiences are determined by the way the interconnected identities of individuals are perceived and responded to by others, is key to recognizing the various forms of oppression that Black males experience, and the impact these experiences have on them and their families. This book is intended for students and scholars in criminology, criminal justice, sociology, race/ethnic studies, legal studies, psychology, and African American Studies, and will serve as a reference for researchers who wish to utilize a progressive theoretical approach to study social control, policing, and the criminal justice system.

Survivor Criminology: A Radical Act of Hope is a trauma-informed approach to the study of crime and justice that stems from the lived experiences of crime survivors. The chapters within this volume explore our authors' who have each had close personal encounters with violence and death, as well as institutionalized oppressions based on racism, heterosexism, sexism, and poverty. As scholars, professors, practitioners, and students in the field, these lived experiences with crime and criminal justice have shaped their research, teaching, and advocacy work. Their voices represent experiences that are intersectional, mult-igenerational, global, trauma-informed and resiliency focused. They are deliberately and decidedly anti-racist, and their experiences acknowledge the harm that has resulted from institutionalized and structural trauma. Most importantly, their stories are grounded in their lived experiences. This volume offers survivor criminology as a radical act of hope. Our hope comes from the belief that a trauma-centered approach to crime, justice, and healing provides the opportunity for criminology to expand its theoretical and methodological roots. We see this work as transformative for the discipline - for students, scholars, members of the community, and policy-makers.

The anthology A Critical Analysis of Race and the Administration of Justice offers historical and contemporary perspectives on critical issues in the administration of justice and places these issues within a variety of theoretical and sociological contexts. The book focuses on each stage of the criminal justice system-police, courts, and corrections-and examines the way justice is administered differently to certain groups within the overall population. A Critical Analysis of Race and the Administration of Justice begins with a piece written in 1941 that explores the ways in which societal responses to crime were influenced by abuses of police powers and differential treatment of African-Americans in the court system. As the reading selections progress through the next seventy years and more, students will learn about contemporary race and justice topics such as public opinion, sentencing and youth incarceration. Designed to encourage critical thinking and stimulate dialogue, A Critical Analysis of Race and the Administration of Justice, is ideal for introductory criminal justice classes, and those that deal with issues of race, gender, and crime.