Synopses & Reviews
Based on five years of ethnography, archival research, census data analysis, and interviews,and#160;
Police, Power, and the Production of Racial Boundaries reveals how the LAPD, city prosecutors, and business owners struggled to control who should be considered andldquo;dangerousandrdquo; and how they should be policed in Los Angeles. Sociologist Ana Muandntilde;iz shows how these influential groups used policies and everyday procedures to criminalize behaviors commonly associated with blacks and Latinos and to promote an exceedingly aggressive form of policing.
and#160;
Muandntilde;iz illuminates the degree to which the definitions of andldquo;gangsandrdquo; and andldquo;deviantsandrdquo; are politically constructed labels born of public policy and court decisions, offering an innovative look at the process of criminalization and underscoring the ways in which a politically powerful coalition can define deviant behavior. As she does so, Muandntilde;iz also highlights the various grassroots challenges to such policies and the efforts to call attention to their racist effects.and#160;Muandntilde;iz describes the fight over two very different methods of policing: community policing (in which the police and the community work together) and the andldquo;broken windowsandrdquo; or andldquo;zero toleranceandrdquo; approach (which aggressively polices minor infractionsandmdash;such as loiteringandmdash;to deter more serious crime). Police, Power, and the Production of Racial Boundaries also explores the history of the area to explain how Cadillac-Corning became viewed by outsiders as a andldquo;violent neighborhoodandrdquo; and how the cityandrsquo;s first gang injunctionandmdash;a restraining order aimed at alleged gang membersandmdash;solidified this negative image. As a result, Muandntilde;iz shows, Cadillac-Corning and other sections became a test site for repressive practices that eventually spread to the rest of the city.
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Review
"With
Falling Back, Fader offers a subtle blending of structural analysis and cultural attentiveness, highlighting the performative and transactional dimensions of both reform school and street life. This is an elegant and important book, one that will significantly shape future scholarship on youth, delinquency, race, and ethnicity."
Review
"This important, powerful story of young black men demonstrates that even the best intentions cannot help overcome the realities of segregation, racism, and poverty in a society with too few jobs."
Review
"Falling Back explores the role of incarceration in young men's transition to adulthood by folliwing 15 black and Latino young men over three years as they prepare for and adjust to their release from a reform school."
Review
"Paik's extraordinary data illuminates the tension between therapy and punishment in juvenile drug courts. A terrific read!"
Review
"This important, timely analysis reveals how meanings are constructed and bureaucratic decisions are created within a youth drug court."
Review
andquot;The genius of Police, Power, and the Production of Racial Boundaries is in the authorand#39;s skillful analysis on the and#39;other sideand#39; of the criminal justice system. This book stands out precisely because it turns a critical eye toward the creators and enforcers of the law.andquot;
Review
andquot;The Forgotten Men is a thorough, insightful, and engaging book that provides rich information and in-depth analysis in order to accurately convey the realities of life in prison. Leigeyandrsquo;s book is a unique and cutting?-?edge contribution.andquot;
Review
andquot;A profound and moving work of social science that explains in compelling prose what it means to sentence human beings to live and die in prison. The forgotten men whose life stories frame this book will be long remembered by students of penology. Leigeyandrsquo;s superb book will guide my research and teaching in the coming years.andquot;and#160;
Review
"An insightful critique of a Pennsylvania reform school for delinquents and the difficulties encountered when these young men re-enter the community. Fader’s book has an important story to tell because it should be acknowledged that
someone who lives and works in these white spaces can often play a larger role initiating a discussion for policy change and suggestions for improvement. Fader’s book provides an important addition to the literature."
Review
2013 Choice Outstanding Mention "This exemplary book addresses the "complex and manifold character" of urban delinquent behavior....A significant contribution to understanding delinquency, demanding attention by decision makers. Excellent footnotes and bibliography. Essential. All levels/Iibraries."
Review
andquot;In a compelling, nonacademic way, Police, Power, and the Production of Racial Boundaries blows the lid off gang suppression policies in Los Angeles. Through a combination of personal narrative and rigorous scholarship, Ana Muniz reveals how gang injunctions have hurt minority communities and fomented racial tensions for a generation. A fabulous book that I couldnand#39;t put down, it is a must-read for every public defender or civil rights lawyer representing teenagers accused of gang activities.andquot;
Synopsis
Falling Back documents the transition to adulthood for young inner-city men of color who have, by the age of eighteen, already been imprisoned. It is based on over three years of ethnographic research with black and Latino males on the cusp of adulthood and incarcerated at a rural reform school. The book portrays the complexities of human decision-making as these men strove to “fall back,” or avoid reoffending and become productive adults.
Synopsis
Winner of the 2016 Michael J. Hindelang Award from the American Society of Criminology (ASC) Winner of the 2016 Outstanding Book for the Academy of Criminal Justice Science (ACJS)
2014 Scholarly Contribution Award from the Children and Youth Section of the American Sociological Association
Received an Honorable Mention for the American Sociological Association Race, Gender and Class Section's 2014 Distinguished Book Award
Named a 2013 Choice Outstanding Academic Title
Jamie J. Fader documents the transition to adulthood for a particularly vulnerable population: young inner-city men of color who have, by the age of eighteen, already been imprisoned. How, she asks, do such precariously situated youth become adult men? What are the sources of change in their lives?
Falling Back is based on over three years of ethnographic research with black and Latino males on the cusp of adulthood and incarcerated at a rural reform school designed to address "criminal thinking errors" among juvenile drug offenders. Fader observed these young men as they transitioned back to their urban Philadelphia neighborhoods, resuming their daily lives and struggling to adopt adult masculine roles. This in-depth ethnographic approach allowed her to portray the complexities of human decision-making as these men strove to "fall back," or avoid reoffending, and become productive adults. Her work makes a unique contribution to sociological understandings of the transitions to adulthood, urban social inequality, prisoner reentry, and desistance from offending.
Synopsis
Jamie J. Fader documents the transition to adulthood for a particularly vulnerable population: young inner-city men of color who have, by the age of eighteen, already been imprisoned. How, she asks, do such precariously situated youth become adult men? What are the sources of change in their lives?
Falling Back is based on over three years of ethnographic research with black and Latino males on the cusp of adulthood and incarcerated at a rural reform school designed to address “criminal thinking errors” among juvenile drug offenders. Fader observed these young men as they transitioned back to their urban Philadelphia neighborhoods, resuming their daily lives and struggling to adopt adult masculine roles. This in-depth ethnographic approach allowed her to portray the complexities of human decision-making as these men strove to “fall back,” or avoid reoffending, and become productive adults. Her work makes a unique contribution to sociological understandings of the transitions to adulthood, urban social inequality, prisoner reentry, and desistance from offending.
Synopsis
Juvenile drug courts are on the rise in the United States, as a result of a favorable political climate and justice officials' endorsement of the therapeutic jurisprudence movement--the concept of combining therapeutic care with correctional discipline. The goal is to divert nonviolent youth drug offenders into addiction treatment instead of long-term incarceration. Discretionary Justice overviews the system, taking readers behind the scenes of the juvenile drug court. Based on fifteen months of ethnographic fieldwork and interviews at a California court, Leslie Paik explores the staff's decision-making practices in assessing the youths' cases, concentrating on the way accountability and noncompliance are assessed. Using the concept of "workability," Paik demonstrates how compliance, and what is seen by staff as "noncompliance," are the constructed results of staff decisions, fluctuating budgets, and sometimes questionable drug test results.
While these courts largely focus on holding youths responsible for their actions, this book underscores the social factors that shape how staff members view progress in the court. Paik also emphasizes the perspectives of children and parents. Given the growing emphasis on individual responsibility in other settings, such as schools and public welfare agencies, Paik's findings are relevant outside the juvenile justice system.
Synopsis
Based on five years of ethnography, archival research, census data analysis, and interviews, Police, Power, and the Production of Racial Boundaries reveals how the LAPD, city prosecutors, and business owners struggled to control who should be considered andldquo;dangerousandrdquo; and how they should be policed in Los Angeles. Ana Muandntilde;iz shows how this influential group used policies and everyday procedures to criminalize behaviors commonly associated with blacks and Latinos and to promote an exceedingly aggressive form of policing.
Synopsis
In The Forgotten Men, criminologist Margaret E. Leigey provides an insightful account of a group of inmates sentenced to life without parole. Imprisoned for at least twenty years, with virtually no chance of release, these men make up one of the most marginalized segments of the U.S. prison population. Drawing on in-depth interviews with twenty-five such prisoners, Leigey describes how they struggle to construct meaningful lives and provides a much-needed analysis of the policies behind life-without-parole sentencing.and#160;and#160;
Synopsis
Today there are approximately fifty thousand prisoners in American prisons serving life without parole, having been found guilty of crimes ranging from murder and rape to burglary, carjacking, and drug offences. In
The Forgotten Men, criminologist Margaret E. Leigey provides an insightful account of a group of aging inmates imprisoned for at least twenty years, with virtually no chance of release.and#160;These men make up one of the most marginalized segments of the contemporary U.S. prison population. Considered too dangerous for rehabilitation, ignored by prison administrators, and overlooked by courts disinclined to review such sentences, these prisoners grow increasingly cut off from family and the outside world. Drawing on in-depth interviews with twenty-five such prisoners, Leigey gives voice to these extremely marginalized inmates and offers a look at how they struggle to cope. She reveals, for instance, that the men believe that permanent incarceration is as inhumane as capital punishment, calling life without parole andldquo;the hard death penalty.andrdquo; Indeed, after serving two decades in prison, some wished that they had received the death penalty instead. Leigey also recounts the ways in which the prisoners attempt to construct meaningful lives inside the bleak environment where they will almost certainly live out their lives.and#160;
and#160;Every state in the union (except Alaska) has the life-without-parole sentencing option, despite its controversial nature and its staggering cost to the taxpayer. The Forgotten Men provides a much-needed analysis of the policies behind life-without-parole sentencing, arguing that such sentences are overused and lead to serious financial and ethical dilemmas.
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About the Author
ANA MUandNtilde;IZ was a Soros Justice Fellow at the Open Society Foundation and Youth Justice Coalition. She is the director of the Dream Resource Center at the UCLA Labor Center, an institute for research, education, and advocacy on undocumented youth immigrant issues in Los Angeles, California.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. No Love for the Brothers: Youth Incarceration and Reentry in Philadelphia
2. "Because That Is the Way You Are": Predictions of Failure and Cultural Assaults Inside Mountain Ridge Academy
3. "You Can Take Me Outta the 'Hood, But You Can't Take the 'Hood Outta Me": The Experience of "Reform" at Mountain Ridge Academy
4. "Nothing's Changed but Me": Reintegration Plans Meet the Inner City
5. "I'm Not a Mama's Boy, I'm My Own Boy": Employment, Hustling, and Adulthood
6. "I Just Wanna See a Part of Me That's Never Been Bad": Family, Fatherhood, and Further Offending
7. "I'm Finally Becoming the Person I Always Wanted to Be": Masculine Identity, Social Support, and Falling Back
8. "I Got Some Unfinished Business": Fictions of Success at Mountain Ridge Academy's Graduation Ceremony
Conclusion
Notes
Index