The End of Policing
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Description
Recent years have seen an explosion of protest against police brutality and repression'most dramatically in Ferguson, Missouri, where longheld grievances erupted in violent demonstrations following the police killing of Michael Brown. Among activists, journalists, and politicians, the conversation about how to respond and improve policing has focused on accountability, diversity, training, and community relations. Unfortunately, these reforms will not produce results, either alone or in combination. The core of the problem must be addressed: the nature of modern policing itself. "Broken windows' practices, the militarization of law enforcement, and the dramatic expansion of the police's role over the last forty years have created a mandate for officers that must be rolled back. This book attempts to spark public discussion by revealing the tainted origins of modern policing as a tool of social control. It shows how the expansion of police authority is inconsistent with community empowerment, social justice'even public safety. Drawing on groundbreaking research from across the world, and covering virtually every area in the increasingly broad range of police work, Alex Vitale demonstrates how law enforcement has come to exacerbate the very problems it is supposed to solve. In contrast, there are places where the robust implementation of policing alternatives'such as legalization, restorative justice, and harm reduction'has led to reductions in crime, spending, and injustice. The best solution to bad policing may be an end to policing.
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Kirkus Book Review
Why better training of police officers is inadequate to reduce strained relations between law enforcement and minority or impoverished communities and why it is necessary to completely rethink the role of police in America.In a tightly constructed monograph filled with reform suggestions, Vitale (Sociology/Brooklyn Coll.; City of Disorder: How the Quality of Life Campaign Transformed New York Politics, 2008, etc.) decries the evolution of police agencies as tools of the white establishment to suppress dissatisfaction among the have-nots. The author understands the role of police in trying to solve violent crimes such as rapes and homicides, but he believes police should no longer serve as the chief combatants against narcotics use, street gangs, border patrol, prostitution between consenting adults, homelessness, mental illness, and misbehaving adolescents. Instead, Vitale suggests either decriminalization of certain behaviors or non-law enforcement solutions, such as government agencies and private organizations that could, for example, work with the homeless to provide them with permanent shelter. The author explains how, during Prohibition, a heavy-handed law enforcement approach to alcohol use and the outlawing of gambling led to counterproductive outcomes. As police agencies arrested alcohol sellers and purchasers, organized crime thrived, numerous police officers accepted graft, and violence involving sales increasedand yet the availability of illegal alcohol remained steady. Vitale realizes that none of the reforms he offers would eliminate violent crime. A reduction is quite likely, however, if governments and philanthropic entities make concerted efforts to reach out to troubled neighborhoods to provide improved education, creation of local businesses, meaningful job training, and actual jobs that pay above minimum wage. Whether society's wealthy or police themselves are willing to back down from the warrior mentality is debatable, but Vitale maintains that a complete reset of the role law enforcement agencies play in rural and urban areas would be beneficial and is worth an attempt. A clearly argued, sure-to-be-controversial book. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
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Citations
Vitale, A. S., & Murray, M. B. (2019). The End of Policing (Unabridged). Tantor Media, Inc.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Vitale, Alex S and Michael Butler Murray. 2019. The End of Policing. Tantor Media, Inc.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Vitale, Alex S and Michael Butler Murray. The End of Policing Tantor Media, Inc, 2019.
Harvard Citation (style guide)Vitale, A. S. and Murray, M. B. (2019). The end of policing. Unabridged Tantor Media, Inc.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Vitale, Alex S., and Michael Butler Murray. The End of Policing Unabridged, Tantor Media, Inc, 2019.
Copy Details
| Collection | Owned | Available | Number of Holds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Libby | 2 | 1 | 0 |