A lucid and forceful volume that explores the tacit and subtle ways
the American justice system links deviance to people of color
When The Color of Crime was first published ten years ago, it was
heralded as a path-breaking book on race and crime. Now, in its tenth
anniversary year, Katheryn Russell-Brown's book is more relevant than
ever. The Jena Six, Duke Lacrosse Team, Amadou Diallo, Sean Bell, James
Byrd, and all of those victimized in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
are just a few of the racially fueled cases that have made headlines in
the past decade.
Russell-Brown continues to ask, why do Black and White Americans
perceive police actions so differently? Is White fear of Black crime
justified? Do African Americans really protect their own? Should they?
And why are we still talking about O.J.? Russell-Brown surveys the
landscape of American crime and identifies some of the country's most
significant racial pathologies. In this new edition, each chapter is
updated and revised, and two new chapters have been added. Enriched with
twenty-five new cases, the explosive and troublesome chapter on "Racial
Hoaxes" demonstrates that "playing the race card" is still a popular
ploy.
The Color of Crime is a lucid and forceful volume that calls for
continued vigilance on the part of journalists, scholars, and
policymakers alike. Through her innovative analysis of cases,
ideological and media trends, issues, and practices that resonate below
the public radar even in the new century, Russell-Brown explores the
tacit and subtle ways that deviance is systematically linked to people
of color. Her findings are impossible to ignore.