James Forman Jr.

Interesting history, full of information new to me, showing how African American voters, politicians, judges, police officers and police chiefs tended to advocate for and implement tough-on-crime measures in response to the urban crime wave of the 1960-1990s. This was good detail to fill in one of the arguments in [b:Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America|13153693|Ghettoside A True Story of Murder in America|Jill Leovy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1417410395s/13153693.jpg|18331880], to wit that African Americans in the inner city have as great a grievance about being under-policed as over-policed: over-policed in terms of harassment and abuse, but under-policed in terms of impunity for serious crimes. Unfortunately these communities' hopes that punitive repression of drugs and criminals would improve things proved very wrong. Where they hoped to marry these policies with others to improve opportunities and to rehabilitate addicts and criminals, too often the tough measures alone went into meaningful action. Coupled with the institutional racism demonstrated in [b:The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness|6792458|The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness|Michelle Alexander|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328751532s/6792458.jpg|6996712], these policies have contributed to ruining the lives and livelihoods of millions of young men especially, while doing little to aid them or their communities to prosper. This is a tragic story of unintended consequences and one that complicates our understanding of where these policies came from.… (more)

Like The New Jim Crow, this excellent book covers the rise of mass incarceration, but with a narrower focus. The author, once a public defender in Washington, D.C., asks: "How did a majority-black jurisdiction" – with so many black judges, black lawmakers, and black prosecutors – "end up incarcerating so many of its own?" It's "a story about what African Americans thought, said, and did," in the ever-present context of American racism and white supremacy. Chapters cover the last few decades' debates about marijuana decriminalization, gun control, mandatory sentencing, and policing policy. Many viewpoints are represented, always with respect for the humanity of those who hold them. The book interweaves political history, policy, and personal experience. And at the end, there is hope. Recommended.… (more)

I was a criminology major in college, later a lawyer. The criminilization of blackness is something I have been studying formally and informally since the early 80s. This book has a different POV than any I have read. I think all rational people can agree that in the US white people have rigged the system to keep those with more melanin down, and that the justice system has been the most efficient and devastating tool in that arsenal. This book though goes a bit farther and looks at the ways African Americans abetted that process. I have seen others indicate this was a response to The New Jim Crow -- I disagree with that descriptor. This book is a "yes and" follow up to The New Jim Crow. A solid piece of scholarship and social commentary . I do think the book could have been better organized, and that the final section should have used much more of the good research out there about recidivism rates for offenders who go to prison versus those given probation and job training. The author left the reader to fill in a lot of blanks. Still an exceptionally worthwhile read to start my 2020.… (more)