The Color of Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America [Paperback]

Samuel Walker (Author), Cassia Spohn (Author), Miriam DeLone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0534594999 | ISBN-13: 978-0534594992 | Edition: 3

Comprehensive and balanced, THE COLOR OF JUSTICE is the definitive book on current research and theories of racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination within America's criminal justice system. The authors synthesize the best and the most recent research on patterns of criminal behavior and victimization, police practices, court processing and sentencing, the death penalty, and correctional programs giving your students the facts and theoretical foundation they need to make their own informed decisions about discrimination in the system. Uniquely unbiased, THE COLOR OF JUSTICE makes every effort to incorporate discussion of all major race groups found in the United States.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Samuel Walker is Isaacson Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, where he has taught for over 30 years. He is the author of 13 books on policing, criminal justice history and policy, and civil liberties. His current research involves police accountability, focusing primarily on citizen oversight of the police and police Early Warning (EW) systems. Professor Walker currently serves on the Panel on Policing of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.

Cassia Spohn is Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where she holds a Kayser Professorship. She is the author of HOW DO JUDGES DECIDE? THE SEARCH FOR FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE IN PUNISHMENT, which was published by Sage in 2002. She has also published extensively on prosecutors charging decisions in sexual assault cases, the effect of race, ethnicity, and gender on sentencing decisions, sentencing of drug offenders, and the deterrent effect of imprisonment. She is currently conducting a study of charging and sentencing decisions under the federal sentencing guidelines; this study, which is funded by the National Science Foundation, will provide a detailed analysis of policies, practices, and outcomes in three U.S. District Courts. In 1999 she was awarded the University of Nebraska Outstanding Research and Creative Activity Award.

Miriam DeLone's research interests include political economy and social control; race, ethnicity, gender and sentencing; and corrections. Her teaching interests are in the area of minorities and crime; criminology; corrections; law and social control; nature of crime; and administration of justice.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 3 edition (April 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534594999
• ISBN-13: 978-0534594992
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #979,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Samuel Walker is Isaacson Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, where he has taught for over 30 years. He is the author of 13 books on policing, criminal justice history and policy, and civil liberties. Current research involves police accountability, focusing primarily on citizen oversight of the police and police Early Warning (EW) systems. Professor Walker currently serves on the Panel on Policing of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, but slanted--read skeptically., February 17, 2012

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cMarier - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Color of Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America (The Wadsworth Contemporary Issues in Crime and Justice Series) (Paperback)

As another reviewer noted, this book is informative but certainly NOT unbiased, as it claims to be. Nearly every chapter states that there is an abundance of "conflicting" evidence, but then frequently concludes that the evidence overwhelmingly points to blatant bias in every facet of the criminal justice system. Often, the authors elaborate in great detail about research demonstrating bias, but reserve little more than a passing sentence or two for research identifying other explanations for racial disparity. Furthermore, the authors frequently devote disproportionate attention to surveys and public opinion polls. Lay perceptions are hardly evidence of anything. Our perceptions tell us that the sun revolves around the earth; legitimate science says otherwise.

I certainly recognize that racism undoubtedly exists in the system, but I expect a scholar to demonstrate scientific skepticism, careful consideration of the empirical evidence, and a balanced presentation of the issues. In some cases, assertions are made as matters of fact, without the evidence to support them. In other cases, the "evidence" is simply wrong. In Chapter Four, for instance, the author boldly claims, "Observational studies of police work have found that in the judgement of the independent observer, about one-third of all [police] uses of force are excessive or unjustified." As a law enforcement officer, I found this claim to be dubious, so I checked the source, footnote 76, and read the original Bureau of Justice Statistics study in its entirety. In fact, it makes no such assertion, relying entirely on the personal opinions of those persons who were subject to police detention--ANYTHING but "independent observers."

Of course, I cannot fact-check every single assertion the authors make, but such a glaring misrepresentation of the facts makes me question the credibility--and motives--of the entire book.

1.0 out of 5 stars Not well put together, January 25, 2012

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pwnbadness - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Color of Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America (The Wadsworth Contemporary Issues in Crime and Justice Series) (Paperback)

The book has numerous math mistakes in it, charts giving statistics many times do not add to 100%. The book often seems to lump Hispanics/Latinos in with Whites when giving statistics, yet other times it gives them their own separate categories in other charts.

A few examples from the book.

Pg. 50 if you add up the crime rates it comes to 105%, and if you add the population it comes to 99%, so 99% of the U.S. population experiences 105% of the crime.

Pg. 77 when talking about hate crimes, if you add up those percentages, they come to 115%.

This info is just from the first 2 chapters.

3.0 out of 5 stars Respected and well-known author, but nothing new here, January 18, 2012

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Stephanie Dee (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Color of Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Crime in America (Paperback)

Dr. Walker is a well respected professor of Criminology, but unfortunately I did not find this book engaging in the least. However, this could simply be because the issues it examines are media-worn.