Locking Up Our Own Crime and Punishment in Black America

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Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction Long-listed for the National Book Award Los Angeles Times Book Prizes Finalist New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Selection In recent years the United States has become increasingly aware of the failures of its criminal justice system. Advocates for reform have advanced solutions ranging from minor policy changes to wholesale reinvention. But as this book reveals the most profound transformations in criminal justice policy have taken place at the local level with little national attention or debate. This is particularly true in one area sentencing for drug offenses. While national attention has focused on the war on drugs as a federal policy local elected prosecutors have been implementing their own versions of the war on drugs in cities across the country. This book examines how and why American cities adopted policies that emphasized punishment for drug crimes over prevention treatment and harm reduction. It shows how these policies were shaped not only by national trends but also by local conditions demographics and politics. It also explains why some cities have been more successful than others in reversing these policies. Drawing on a wide range of sources including interviews with current and former officials archival research and statistical analysis the author demonstrates that the key to understanding these divergent paths lies in the ways that black political leaders responded to rising crime rates in their communities. He argues that these leaders fearing being labeled soft on crime supported aggressive policing and prosecution of drug offenses even as they recognized that these policies would have a devastating impact on black communities. The result is a powerful and often controversial account of how good intentions can lead to disastrous consequences. The book provides a fascinating look at the complex interplay of race class and politics in shaping public policy. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the current crisis in our criminal justice system.