Policing the poor : from slave plantation to public housing /
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| Author / Creator: | |
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Imprint: | Boston : Northeastern University Press, [2001] |
| Subjects: | |
| Retention: | Retained for Eastern Academic Scholars' Trust (EAST) http://eastlibraries.org/retained-materials |
| Summary: | While many applaud the apparent successes of community and saturation policing, Neil Websdale contends Instead that such law enforcement initiatives oppress rather than protect the poor, particularly African Americans in large urban centers. Based on a groundbreaking ethnographic study of public housing projects in Nashville, Tennessee, he argues persuasively that community policing is a critical component of a criminal justice juggernaut designed to manage or regulate stigmatized populations, much like slave patrols served as agents for social control on Southern plantations. In a work that is sure to stir controversy and heated debate, Websdale draws on extensive field research, documentary sources, and interviews to illuminate how a criminal justice system deeply rooted in racism and siavery destroys the black family, creates a form of selective breeding, and undermines the civil rights gains of the 1960s. Unlike previous studies of community policing, which analyze programs through the lens of law enforcement, this book focuses on the history, experiences, and perspectives of the people whose lives are most affected by today's policing strategies. Skillfully blending the voices |
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| Physical Description: | x, 278 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 255-266) and index. |
| ISBN: | 155553497X 1555534961 |
| Author Notes: |