Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America

Content Warning: The section of the guide addresses racism and racial inequities in the US criminal justice system.

Discuss the ways in which racism shaped the political, economic, and legal context in which Black communities and their elected leaders responded to crime during the 1970s and 1980s.

Forman proposes community policing as an alternative to traditional policing measures like warrior policing. What is community policing and why does Forman believe it to be an effective alternative? Is he correct?

Why did David Clarke argue that decriminalizing marijuana was a racial justice and civil rights issue? What was Doug Moore’s rebuttal? Why did so many Black church leaders oppose decriminalization?