The books in this category address accountability, critique, diversity, ethics, & reform in law enforcement, policing, and the justice system.
Abolition for the People: The Movement for a Future Without Policing & Prisons by
he former NFL star turned social activist presents 30 essays from political prisoners, grassroots organizers and scholars such as Angela Davis and Dereck Purnell that focus on the police and incarceration abolition movement.
The Ethics of Policing: New Perspectives on Law Enforcement by
Top scholars provide a critical analysis of the current ethical challenges facing police officers, police departments, and the criminal justice system From George Floyd to Breonna Taylor, the brutal deaths of Black citizens at the hands of law enforcement have brought race and policing to the forefront of national debate in the United States. In The Ethics of Policing, Ben Jones and Eduardo Mendieta bring together an interdisciplinary group of scholars across the social sciences and humanities to reevaluate the role of the police and the ethical principles that guide their work. With contributors such as Tracey Meares, Michael Walzer, and Franklin Zimring, this volume covers timely topics including race and policing, the use of aggressive tactics and deadly force, police abolitionism, and the use of new technologies like drones, body cameras, and predictive analytics, providing different perspectives on the past, present, and future of policing, with particular attention to discriminatory practices that have historically targeted Black and Brown communities. This volume offers cutting-edge insight into the ethical challenges facing the police and the institutions that oversee them. As high-profile cases of police brutality spark protests around the country, The Ethics of Policing raises questions about the proper role of law enforcement in a democratic society.
No More Police: A Case for Abolition by
An instant national best seller A persuasive primer on police abolition from two veteran organizers "One of the world's most prominent advocates, organizers and political educators of the [abolitionist] framework." --NBCNews.com on Mariame Kaba In this powerful call to action, New York Times bestselling author Mariame Kaba and attorney and organizer Andrea J. Ritchie detail why policing doesn't stop violence, instead perpetuating widespread harm; outline the many failures of contemporary police reforms; and explore demands to defund police, divest from policing, and invest in community resources to create greater safety through a Black feminist lens. Centering survivors of state, interpersonal, and community-based violence, and highlighting uprisings, campaigns, and community-based projects, No More Police makes a compelling case for a world where the tools required to prevent, interrupt, and transform violence in all its forms are abundant. Part handbook, part road map, No More Police calls on us to turn away from systems that perpetrate violence in the name of ending it toward a world where violence is the exception, and safe, well-resourced and thriving communities are the rule.
Police Reform by
The debate surrounding police violence reached a climax in 2020, when video of the brutal killing of George Floyd by a police officer went viral and activated unprecedented Black Lives Matter protests across the US and around the world. Many activists called for police reform, to varying degrees. Some advocated for abolition, while others sought change within the system. And yet others didn't see the need for change at all. The viewpoints in this resource explore police brutality, racism within the US criminal justice system, qualified immunity for police officers, and the Defund the Police movement.
Police Reform in the Aftermath of George Floyd's Death by
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN, while he was in the custody of law enforcement, combined with several other recent high-profile deaths of African Americans at the hands of the police, have generated congressional interest in legislation to reform state and local policing practices, and to require law enforcement agencies to collect more data on law enforcement actions and activities and share these data with the public. Two major pieces of legislation that contain police reform proposals are before Congress: H.R. 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020--passed by the House on June 25, 2020--and S. 3985, the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act. This book discusses the current issues associated with police reform.
Policing in an Age of Reform: An Agenda for Research and Practice by
This book tackles the contentious issue of policing in an age of controversy and uncertainty. It is a timely book written by police scholars -- predominantly former practitioners from Europe, Australia and North America -- who draw from their own research and operational experiences to illuminate key issues relating to police reform in the present day. While acknowledging some relevance of usual proposed models, such as problem-solving, evidence-based policing and procedural justice, the contributors provide an insider look at a variety of perspectives and approaches to police reform which have emerged in recent decades. It invites university students, criminologists, social scientists, police managers, forensic scientists to question and adapt their perspectives on a broad range of topics such as community policing, hate crime, Islamic radicalisation, neighborhood dynamics, situational policing, antidiscrimination and civil society, police ethics, performance measures, and advances in forensic science, technology, intelligence and more in an accessible and comprehensive manner.
Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City by
Named one of the best nonfiction books of the year by The Washington Post "Tangled Up in Blue is a wonderfully insightful book that provides a lens to critically analyze urban policing and a road map for how our most dispossessed citizens may better relate to those sworn to protect and serve." --The Washington Post "Remarkable . . . Brooks has produced an engaging page-turner that also outlines many broadly applicable lessons and sensible policy reforms." --Foreign Affairs Journalist and law professor Rosa Brooks goes beyond the "blue wall of silence" in this radical inside examination of American policing In her forties, with two children, a spouse, a dog, a mortgage, and a full-time job as a tenured law professor at Georgetown University, Rosa Brooks decided to become a cop. A liberal academic and journalist with an enduring interest in law's troubled relationship with violence, Brooks wanted the kind of insider experience that would help her understand how police officers make sense of their world--and whether that world can be changed. In 2015, against the advice of everyone she knew, she applied to become a sworn, armed reserve police officer with the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department. Then as now, police violence was constantly in the news. The Black Lives Matter movement was gaining momentum, protests wracked America's cities, and each day brought more stories of cruel, corrupt cops, police violence, and the racial disparities that mar our criminal justice system. Lines were being drawn, and people were taking sides. But as Brooks made her way through the police academy and began work as a patrol officer in the poorest, most crime-ridden neighborhoods of the nation's capital, she found a reality far more complex than the headlines suggested. In Tangled Up in Blue, Brooks recounts her experiences inside the usually closed world of policing. From street shootings and domestic violence calls to the behind-the-scenes police work during Donald Trump's 2016 presidential inauguration, Brooks presents a revelatory account of what it's like inside the "blue wall of silence." She issues an urgent call for new laws and institutions, and argues that in a nation increasingly divided by race, class, ethnicity, geography, and ideology, a truly transformative approach to policing requires us to move beyond sound bites, slogans, and stereotypes. An explosive and groundbreaking investigation, Tangled Up in Blue complicates matters rather than simplifies them, and gives pause both to those who think police can do no wrong--and those who think they can do no right.
The Use and Abuse of Police Power in America by
Providing a timely and much-needed investigation of how U.S. law enforcement carries out its public safety and crime fighting mandates, this book is an invaluable resource for students, educators, and concerned citizens.Does America face an epidemic of police officers abusing their powers and disregarding constitutional rights, especially in communities of color? Or are such accusations unfair, especially given the enormous challenges of enforcing the law in 21st-century America? This book provides a unique frame of reference for understanding how some of the issues between the police and the public emerged, identifying events that have shaped current relationships between the police and the public, as well as the public's expectations and perceptions of the police.An authoritative resource for understanding modern law enforcement and its relationship with American communities, this volume addresses subjects including the legal underpinnings of various law enforcement actions and practices; the so-called militarization of police departments; the increased use of force and surveillance to combat crime and terrorism, and to generally "keep the peace"; and the perspectives of Black Lives Matter activists and other critics of American law enforcement. The entries provide readers with expert analysis of current topics related to the intensifying debate about the American police state; examine the scope of law enforcement issues that have existed for centuries, and explain why they continue to exist; and cover new mandates for exercising police power, enabling readers to critically analyze what is presented to them in the media. Included throughout the book are excerpts from important laws, speeches, reports, and studies pertaining to the subject of the use and abuse of police power in the United States
Basic Statistics in Criminology and Criminal Justice by
This introductory textbook takes a building-block approach that emphasizes the application and interpretation of statistics in research in crime and justice. This text is meant for both students and professionals who want to gain a basic understanding of common statistical methods used in criminology and criminal justice before advancing to more complex statistical analyses in future volumes. This book emphasizes comprehension and interpretation. As the statistical methods discussed become more complex and demanding to compute, it integrates statistical software. It provides readers with an accessible understanding of popular statistical programs used to examine real-life crime and justice problems (including SPSS, Stata, and R). In addition, the book includes supplemental resources such as a glossary of key terms, practice questions, and sample data. Basic Statistics in Criminology and Criminal Justice aims to give students and researchers a core understanding of statistical concepts and methods that will leave them with the confidence and tools to tackle the statistical problems in their own research work.
Criminology Explains School Bullying by
In this book, Robert A. Brooks and Jeffrey W. Cohen provide a concise, targeted overview of the major criminological theories to explain the phenomenon of school bullying, bringing to life what is often dense and confusing material with concrete case examples. Criminology Explains School Bullying is a valuable resource in criminology or juvenile delinquency classes, as well as special-topics classes on school violence, bullying, or the school-to-prison pipeline. Charts, critical thinking questions, and implications for practice and policy illuminate real-world applications, making this is a go-to book for teachers, students, and researchers interested in an empirically driven synthesis of criminological theory as it applies to school bullying.
Criminology of Poisoning Contexts: Warfare, Terrorism, Assassination, and Other Homicides by
This accessible book examines poisoning in various contexts of international conflict. It explores the modern-day use of poison in warfare, terrorism, assassination, mass suicide, serial poisoning within healthcare, and as capital punishment. It examines a broad range of international cases from the Americas, Europe, Japan, India and more in relation to Situational Crime Prevention and its theoretical precursors, in order to explore potential prevention strategies and the ways in which perpetrators circumvent them. Case studies include analysis of attempts on the lives of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, the Tokyo subway attacks, the crimes of Dr. Harold Shipman and the Heaven's Gate and Jonestown cults. For each, the means, motive, opportunity, location, and perpetrator-victim relationship is examined. This accessible book speaks to students of criminology and those interested in penology, careers in criminal justice, homicide detectives, anti-terrorism personnel, forensic pathologists and toxicologists.
Introduction to the Criminology of Genocide by
This textbook provides an accessible and interdisciplinary introduction to genocide with an emphasis on the criminal aspect of genocide. It draws on sociological, political, and historical concepts to discuss how they contribute to our understanding of genocide as an international crime. It walks students through the evolution of genocide as a criminal act and the legal responses available using case studies to demonstrate how concepts work in action. It combines Criminology and Law, arguing that Criminology can help explain the ‘why and how'while Law can explain the responses to crime. This textbook includes a chapter on genocide denial as well as discussion questions at the end of the chapters, boxed examples, and further reading. It speaks to students in Criminology, Law, Socio-Legal Studies, and beyond, as well as to practitioners in the criminal justice field.
Active Shooter Response Training: Lone Wolf to Coordinated Attacks, 2nd Edition by
Active Shooter Response Training: Lone Wolf to Coordinated Attack, 2nd Edition, provides expanded and updated training for police and security officers who must respond to an active shooter situation. This manual addresses all facets of preparation and response, from complex logistical organization to collective and individual tactics, as well as special units or special skills tasks. Based on time-tested military training doctrine, the program described here offers a template for agencies of all sizes to offer training that effectively utilizes officers' available time. Hyderkhan and his expert contributors cover all aspects of the active shooter response (ASR) mission, from risk analysis to logistical planning for mass casualty events. He also addresses medical care and evacuation, reunification procedures, and post-incident investigation. Active Shooter Response Training,2nd Edition, provides the tools needed to prevent or mitigate tragedy in our religious congregations, schools, and public places. The book includes a voucher code for a 50% discount off of the companion online library of training videos This book is directed to law enforcement agencies, private security teams, training organizations, police leaders, and individual officers and trainers, in the US and globally. It also has potential as recommended reading in policing courses at the community college and university level.
Policing, Mental Illness and Media: The Framing of Mental Health Crisis Encounters and Police Use of Force by
This book examines the complexities of the relationship between policing and mental health in Australia especially including the circumstances that lead to police use of force, and the ways in which news media typically report deaths resulting from police contact with people in mental health crisis. When a vulnerable member of society is killed by the police, it is only natural that questions are asked about the behaviour and actions of those involved. Police are, after all, meant to be the protectors of society. By virtue of these circumstances, fatal encounters between police and mentally ill individuals in crisis often attract heightened media and legal attention, as well as public debate. Drawing together research interviews and extensive case study analysis, the book explores the conditions for the production of this news media coverage, the ways in which it can shape public perceptions of police-involved mental health crisis interventions, and the potential impacts on those involved in and affected by such events. The implications for police agencies are also considered in the context of how they respond to vulnerable people in the community, while being in the media spotlight. This book will appeal to students, scholars and practitioners in journalism, media studies, policing, criminology, sociology, and mental health as well as those interested in learning about the relationship between policing, mental illness, and media representation.
The POWER Manual: A Step-by-step Guide to Improving Police Officer Wellness, Ethics, and Resilience by
This book offers practical, research-based strategies to help all members of law enforcement improve their wellness, strengthen their ethical commitments, and increase their resilience both on- and off-duty. A police officer's power does not come from their badge, gear, or tactical skills. It comes from POWER: Police Officer Wellness, Ethics, and Resilience. Even with access to a gym or counseling through work, police officers will benefit from developing a personal plan to maintain overall health. This book focuses on physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual wellness. It describes steps to optimize wellbeing and maintain effective job performance. Filled with personal examples from Officer Mike, this book will better prepare police officers to deescalate potential crisis situations before they happen and make them more capable of coping with them when they do. Includes a foreword by Kevin M. Gilmartin, PhD, author of the bestselling Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and Their Families.
Bloodbath Nation by
An intimate and powerful rumination on American gun violence by Paul Auster, one of our greatest living writers and "genuine American original" (The Boston Globe), in an unforgettable collaboration with photographer Spencer Ostrander Like most American boys of his generation, Paul Auster grew up playing with toy six-shooters and mimicking the gun-slinging cowboys in B Westerns. A skilled marksman by the age of ten, he also lived through the traumatic aftermath of the murder of his grandfather by his grandmother when his father was a child and knows, through firsthand experience, how families can be wrecked by a single act of gun violence. In this short, searing book, Auster traces centuries of America's use and abuse of guns, from the violent displacement of the native population to the forced enslavement of millions, to the bitter divide between embattled gun control and anti-gun control camps that has developed over the past 50 years and the mass shootings that dominate the news today. Since 1968, more than one and a half million Americans have been killed by guns. The numbers are so large, so catastrophic, so disproportionate to what goes on elsewhere, that one must ask why. Why is America so different--and why are we the most violent country in the Western world? Interwoven with Spencer Ostrander's haunting photographs of the sites of more than thirty mass shootings in all parts of the country, Bloodbath Nation presents a succinct but thorough examination of America at a crossroads, and asks the central, burning question of our moment: What kind of society do we want to live in? A portion of proceeds from this book will be donated to the Violence Policy Center, a nonprofit organization working to stop gun death and injury through research, education, and advocacy.
Guns in American Society by
The revised third edition of the landmark Guns in American Society provides an authoritative and objective survey of the history and current state of all gun-related issues and areas of debate in the United States.Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law is a comprehensive and evenhanded three-volume reference resource for understanding all of the political, legal, and cultural factors that have swirled around gun rights and gun control in America, past and present.The encyclopedia draws on a vast array of research in criminology, history, law, medicine, politics, and social science. It covers all aspects of the issue: gun violence, including mass shootings in schools and other public spaces; gun control arguments and organizations; gun rights arguments and organizations; the firearms industry; firearms regulation, legislation, and court decisions; gun subcultures (for example, hunters and collectors); leading opinion-shapers on both sides of the gun debate; technological innovations in firearm manufacturing; various types of firearms, from handguns to assault weapons; and evolving public attitudes toward guns. Many of these entries place the topics in both historical and cross-cultural perspective.
The Politics of Gun Control by
The new edition of this classic text covers the latest developments in American gun policy including the most recent shooting incidents that persist in plaguing the American landscape. Continuing a multi-decade trend, crime generally remains low throughout the US, but mass shootings have increased in both number and lethality, stoking greater support for gun laws among the public. Two seismic political events are highlighted in the eighth edition. The first is the ascendance of the gun safety movement, culminating in numerous electoral victories for gun law supporters in 2018 congressional and state races around the country. This outcome, which contributed to the Democrats' capture of the House of Representatives for the first time since 2008, also demonstrates that support for stronger gun laws could be a winning issue for proponents in 2020 and beyond. The second political development featured is the financial, political, and legal crises that beset the nation's oldest and most powerful gun group, the National Rifle Association. These crises are sufficiently grave that they may pose an existential threat to the organization's traditional dominance in the realm of gun politics. Author Robert J. Spitzer has long been a recognized authority on gun control and gun policy. His even-handed treatment of the issue--as both a member of the NRA and the Brady Center--continues to compel national and international interest, including appearances on major media such as the PBS NewsHour. The eighth edition of The Politics of Gun Controlprovides the reader with up-to-date data and coverage of gun ownership, gun deaths, school shootings, border patrols and new topics including universal background checks, limits on large capacity ammunition magazines, and "red flag" laws. New to the Eighth Edition Covers the ascendance of the Second Amendment sanctuary and gun safety movements, resulting from heinous shootings in Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida. Tracks the financial, political, and legal crises that threaten the dominance of the National Rifle Association. Examines new policy measures including universal background checks, limits on large capacity ammunition magazines, the bump stock controversy, and "red flag" laws, among others.
Why We Are Losing the War on Gun Violence in the United States by
Uniquely examines why we are losing the war on gun violence in America
Critically explores some of the “principles of war” in terms of the public health perspective concerning issues and solutions related to the gun violence epidemic in America
Includes a discussion of efforts to change social norms about firearms
Is written for a broad audience by experienced authors using an engaging writing style
The Connecticut Prison Association and the Search for Reformatory Justice by
How a groundbreaking advocacy organization has helped shape Connecticut's criminal justice system since 1875 The Connecticut Prison Association and the Search for Reformatory Justice looks at the role the Connecticut Prison Association played in the formation of the state's criminal justice system. Now organized under the name Community Partners in Action (CPA), the Connecticut Prison Association was formed to ameliorate the conditions of criminal defendants and people in prison, improve the discipline and administration of local jails and state prisons, and furnish assistance and encouragement to people returning to their communities after incarceration. The organization took a leading role in prison reform in the state and was instrumental in a number of criminal justice innovations. Gordon S. Bates, former Connecticut Prison Association volunteer and executive director (1980 - 1998), offers a detailed history of this and similar voluntary associations and their role in fostering a rehabilitative, rather than a retributive, approach to criminal justice. First convened in 1875 as the Friends of Partners of Prisoners Society, then evolving into the Connecticut Prison Association and CPA, the organization has consistently advocated for a humane, rehabilitative approach to prisoner treatment.
Prisons of the World by
How do governments and societies use prison to respond to underlying and fundamental social, economic and political issues?Using data on world imprisonment and numerous international examples from his personal experience, Coyle, a prison practitioner, academic and international expert, discusses the failings of prison around the world.Acknowledging the influence of external agencies, such as the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and court interventions in the use of solitary confinement, he offers some positive pointers for the future and how there might be a better distribution of resources between criminal justice and social justice by an application of the principles of Justice Reinvestment.
Secrets from a Prison Cell by
Tony Vick is serving two life sentences for murder. After nearly twenty years in prison, Tony has literally taken to the pen to document firsthand what life is like behind bars. This book--handwritten by Tony and later transcribed by outside friends--indirectly challenges the reader to engage prison reform as one of the most important social issues of this generation, wondering if society can shift its emphasis from retribution to rehabilitation. Tony's new book describes the violent, even horrific, incidents that occur in prison, incidents mostly hidden in the shadows, away from public awareness. It tells you the stories that those invested in incarceration would rather remain secret. As captivating as it is timely, Secrets from a Prison Cell shortens the distance between those outside and inside prison walls. Through personal stories, essays, and poetry, Tony Vick's book pulls back the curtain on a world invisible to most people, dramatically revealing the realities of life in prison and the power of love to fight dehumanization.For Tony, writing this book has never been about money but about the message. Any proceeds from sales of the book will be donated to the No Exceptions Prison Collective, a non-profit organization that advocates for prison reform. (https://noexceptions.net) No Exception's mission is furthered by its very name, referencing the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that abolishes slavery, except for those incarcerated in our nation's prisons. Slavery still exists in America!
Mass Supervision: Probation, Parole, and the Illusion of Safety and Freedom by Vincent Schiraldi by
The most comprehensive critique of probation and parole—and a provocative and compelling argument for abolishing both—from the former Probation Commissioner of New York City.
To locate additional books or eBooks on the history of law enforcement in Texas, copy and paste the following search string in Eagle Library Search on the library's homepage:
Texas AND histor* AND ("law enforcement* OR polic* OR "public safety" OR Rangers)
Crime and Punishment in the Jim Crow South by
Policing, incarceration, capital punishment: these forms of crime control were crucial elements of Jim Crow regimes. White southerners relied on them to assert and maintain racial power, which led to the growth of modern state bureaucracies that eclipsed traditions of local sovereignty. Friction between the demands of white supremacy and white southern suspicions of state power created a distinctive criminal justice system in the South, elements of which are still apparent today across the United States. In this collection, Amy Louise Wood and Natalie J. Ring present nine groundbreaking essays about the carceral system and its development over time. Topics range from activism against police brutality to the peculiar path of southern prison reform to the fraught introduction of the electric chair. The essays tell nuanced stories of rapidly changing state institutions, political leaders who sought to manage them, and African Americans who appealed to the regulatory state to protect their rights. Contributors: Pippa Holloway, Tammy Ingram, Brandon T. Jett, Seth Kotch, Talitha L. LeFlouria, Vivien Miller, Silvan Niedermeier, K. Stephen Prince, and Amy Louise Wood
Cult of Glory by
"Swanson has done a crucial public service by exposing the barbarous side of the Rangers." --The New York Times Book Review A twenty-first century reckoning with the legendary Texas Rangers that does justice to their heroic moments while also documenting atrocities, brutality, oppression, and corruption The Texas Rangers came to life in 1823, when Texas was still part of Mexico. Nearly 200 years later, the Rangers are still going--one of the most famous of all law enforcement agencies. In Cult of Glory, Doug J. Swanson has written a sweeping account of the Rangers that chronicles their epic, daring escapades while showing how the white and propertied power structures of Texas used them as enforcers, protectors and officially sanctioned killers. Cult of Glory begins with the Rangers' emergence as conquerors of the wild and violent Texas frontier. They fought the fierce Comanches, chased outlaws, and served in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War. As Texas developed, the Rangers were called upon to catch rustlers, tame oil boomtowns, and patrol the perilous Texas-Mexico border. In the 1930s they began their transformation into a professionally trained police force. Countless movies, television shows, and pulp novels have celebrated the Rangers as Wild West supermen. In many cases, they deserve their plaudits. But often the truth has been obliterated. Swanson demonstrates how the Rangers and their supporters have operated a propaganda machine that turned agency disasters and misdeeds into fables of triumph, transformed murderous rampages--including the killing of scores of Mexican civilians--into valorous feats, and elevated scoundrels to sainthood. Cult of Glory sets the record straight. Beginning with the Texas Indian wars, Cult of Glory embraces the great, majestic arc of Lone Star history. It tells of border battles, range disputes, gunslingers, massacres, slavery, political intrigue, race riots, labor strife, and the dangerous lure of celebrity. And it reveals how legends of the American West--the real and the false--are truly made.
Cult of Glory by
"Swanson has done a crucial public service by exposing the barbarous side of the Rangers." --The New York Times Book Review A twenty-first century reckoning with the legendary Texas Rangers that does justice to their heroic moments while also documenting atrocities, brutality, oppression, and corruption The Texas Rangers came to life in 1823, when Texas was still part of Mexico. Nearly 200 years later, the Rangers are still going--one of the most famous of all law enforcement agencies. In Cult of Glory, Doug J. Swanson has written a sweeping account of the Rangers that chronicles their epic, daring escapades while showing how the white and propertied power structures of Texas used them as enforcers, protectors and officially sanctioned killers. Cult of Glory begins with the Rangers' emergence as conquerors of the wild and violent Texas frontier. They fought the fierce Comanches, chased outlaws, and served in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War. As Texas developed, the Rangers were called upon to catch rustlers, tame oil boomtowns, and patrol the perilous Texas-Mexico border. In the 1930s they began their transformation into a professionally trained police force. Countless movies, television shows, and pulp novels have celebrated the Rangers as Wild West supermen. In many cases, they deserve their plaudits. But often the truth has been obliterated. Swanson demonstrates how the Rangers and their supporters have operated a propaganda machine that turned agency disasters and misdeeds into fables of triumph, transformed murderous rampages--including the killing of scores of Mexican civilians--into valorous feats, and elevated scoundrels to sainthood. Cult of Glory sets the record straight. Beginning with the Texas Indian wars, Cult of Glory embraces the great, majestic arc of Lone Star history. It tells of border battles, range disputes, gunslingers, massacres, slavery, political intrigue, race riots, labor strife, and the dangerous lure of celebrity. And it reveals how legends of the American West--the real and the false--are truly made.
Gringo Injustice: Insider Perspectives on Police, Gangs, and Law by
The recent mass shooting of 22 innocent people in El Paso by a lone White gunman looking to "Kill Mexicans" is not new. It is part of a long, bloody history of anti-Latina/o violence in the United States. Gringo Injustice brings this history to life, shedding critical light on the complex relationship between Latinas/os and the United States' legal and judicial system. Contributors with first-hand knowledge and experience, including former law enforcement officers, ex-gang members, attorneys, and community activists, share insider perspectives on the issues facing Latinas/os and initiate a critical dialogue on this neglected topic. Essays examine the unauthorized use of deadly force by police and patterned incidents of lynching, hate crimes, gang violence, and racial profiling. The book also highlights the hyper-criminalization of barrio youth and considers wide-ranging implications from the disproportionate imprisonment of Latinas/os. Gringo Injusticeprovides a comprehensive and powerful look into the Latina/o community's fraught history with law enforcement and the American judicial system. It is an essential reference for students and scholars interested in intersections between crime and communities of Color, and for use in Sociology, Latino Studies, Ethnic Studies, Chicano Studies, Criminology, and Criminal Justice.
Houston Police Department by
The Houston Police Force was established by the naming of a city marshal in January 1841. Houston Police Department historian Denny Hair wrote, "As befitted a frontier community, the meeting of justice in Houston was swift and uncompromising. Trials were conducted in an informal manner with little attention paid to formal rules of evidence and legal procedure." Eventually, conditions changed and law enforcement became more sophisticated. The "Bayou City" population went from 44,633 in 1900 to almost 1 million by 1960. "Houston" was the first word spoken from the moon, thus it became "Space City" and, ultimately, the nation's fourth-largest city. Its police department weathered decades of mayoral appointment for every officer before state civil service reform in the 1940s. It also met the civil rights years better than most cities and saw dramatic change with the 1982 appointment of Lee Brown as the first African American police chief of a large American city.
The Injustice Never Leaves You by
A moving account of a little-known period of state-sponsored racial terror inflicted on ethnic Mexicans in the Texas-Mexico borderlands. Between 1910 and 1920, vigilantes and law enforcement-including the renowned Texas Rangers-killed Mexican residents with impunity. The full extent of the violence was known only to the relatives of the victims. Monica Muñoz Martinez turns to the keepers of this history to tell this riveting and disturbing untold story. Operating in remote rural areas enabled the perpetrators to do their worst: hanging, shooting, burning, and beating victims to death without scrutiny. Families scoured the brush to retrieve the bodies of loved ones. Survivors suffered segregation and fierce intimidation, and yet fought back. They confronted assailants in court, worked with Mexican diplomats to investigate the crimes, pressured local police to arrest the perpetrators, spoke to journalists, and petitioned politicians for change. Martinez reconstructs this history from institutional and private archives and oral histories, to show how the horror of anti-Mexican violence lingered within communities for generations, compounding injustice by inflicting further pain and loss. Yet its memorialization provided victims with an important means of redress, undermining official narratives that sought to whitewash these atrocities. The Injustice Never Leaves You offers an invaluable account of why these incidents happened, what they meant at the time, and how a determined community ensured that the victims were not forgotten.
The Injustice Never Leaves You by
A moving account of a little-known period of state-sponsored racial terror inflicted on ethnic Mexicans in the Texas-Mexico borderlands. Between 1910 and 1920, vigilantes and law enforcement-including the renowned Texas Rangers-killed Mexican residents with impunity. The full extent of the violence was known only to the relatives of the victims. Monica Muñoz Martinez turns to the keepers of this history to tell this riveting and disturbing untold story. Operating in remote rural areas enabled the perpetrators to do their worst: hanging, shooting, burning, and beating victims to death without scrutiny. Families scoured the brush to retrieve the bodies of loved ones. Survivors suffered segregation and fierce intimidation, and yet fought back. They confronted assailants in court, worked with Mexican diplomats to investigate the crimes, pressured local police to arrest the perpetrators, spoke to journalists, and petitioned politicians for change. Martinez reconstructs this history from institutional and private archives and oral histories, to show how the horror of anti-Mexican violence lingered within communities for generations, compounding injustice by inflicting further pain and loss. Yet its memorialization provided victims with an important means of redress, undermining official narratives that sought to whitewash these atrocities. The Injustice Never Leaves You offers an invaluable account of why these incidents happened, what they meant at the time, and how a determined community ensured that the victims were not forgotten.
Opinions Throughout History: Law Enforcement in America by
This volume of Opinions Throughout History takes a look at the history and philosophy of policing in America from the vigilante slave catchers of the American South, to the first modern police departments of the Northeast, to the drug war of the 1980s and 1990s.
The Politicization of Safety: Critical Perspectives on Domestic Violence Responses by
A look at gun control, campus sexual assault, immigration, and more that considers the future of responses to domestic violence Domestic violence is commonly assumed to be a bipartisan, nonpolitical issue, with politicians of all stripes claiming to work to end family violence. Nevertheless, the Violence Against Women Act expired for over 500 days between 2012 and 2013 due to differences between the U.S. Senate and House, demonstrating that legal protections for domestic abuse survivors are both highly political and highly vulnerable. Racial and gender politics, the move toward criminalization, reproductive justice concerns, gun control debates, and political interests are increasingly shaping responses to domestic violence, demonstrating the need for greater consideration of the interplay of politics, domestic violence, and how the law works in people's lives. The Politicization of Safety provides a critical historical perspective on domestic violence responses in the United States. It grapples with the ways in which child welfare systems and civil and criminal justice responses intersect, and considers the different, overlapping ways in which survivors of domestic abuse are forced to cope with institutionalized discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and immigration status. The book also examines movement politics and the feminist movement with respect to domestic violence policies. The tensions discussed in this book, similar to those involved in the #metoo movement, include questions of accountability, reckoning, redemption, healing, and forgiveness. What is the future of feminism and the movements against gender-based violence and domestic violence? Readers are invited to question assumptions about how society and the legal system respond to intimate partner violence and to challenge the domestic violence field to move beyond old paradigms and contend with larger justice issues.
Race and the Houston Police Department, 1930-1990 by
In Houston, as in the rest of the American South up until the 1950s, the police force reflected and enforced the segregation of the larger society. When the nation began to change in the 1950s and 1960s, this guardian of the status quo had to change, too. It was not designed to do so easily. Dwight Watson traces how the Houston Police Department reacted to social, political, and institutional change over a fifty-year period--and specifically, how it responded to and in turn influenced racial change. Using police records as well as contemporary accounts, Watson astutely analyzes the escalating strains between the police and segments of the city's black population in the 1967 police riot at Texas Southern University and the 1971 violence that became known as the Dowling Street Shoot-Out. The police reacted to these events and to daily challenges by hardening its resolve to impose its will on the minority community. By 1977, the events surrounding the beating and drowning of Jose Campos Torres while in police custody prompted one writer to label the HPD the "meanest police in America." This event encouraged Houston's growing Mexican American community to unite with blacks in seeking to curb police autonomy and brutality. Watson's study demonstrates vividly how race complicated the internal impulses for change and gave way through time to external pressures--including the Civil Rights Movement, modernization, annexations, and court-ordered redistricting--for institutional changes within the department. His work illuminates not only the role of a southern police department in racial change but also the internal dynamics of change in an organization designed to protect the status quo.
The Texas Rangers in Transition by
Official Texas Ranger Bicentennial(tm) Publication Newly rich in oil money, and all the trouble it could buy, Texas in the years following World War I underwent momentous changes--and those changes propelled the transformation of the state's storied Rangers. Charles H. Harris III and Louis R. Sadler explore this important but relatively neglected period in the Texas Rangers' history in this book, a sequel to their award-winning The Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution: The Bloodiest Decade, 1910-1920. In a Texas awash in booze and oil in the Prohibition years, the Rangers found themselves riding herd on gamblers and bootleggers, but also tasked with everything from catching murderers to preventing circus performances on Sunday. The Texas Rangers in Transition takes up the Rangers' story at a time of political turmoil, as the largely rural state was rapidly becoming urban. At the same time, law enforcement was facing an epidemic of bank robberies, an increase in organized crime, the growth of the Ku Klux Klan, Prohibition enforcement--new challenges that the Rangers met by transitioning from gunfighters to criminal investigators. Steeped in tradition, reluctant to change, the agency was reduced to its nadir in the depths of the Depression, the victim of slashed appropriations, an antagonistic governor, and mediocre personnel. Harris and Sadler document the further and final change that followed when, in 1935, the Texas Rangers were moved from the governor's control to the newly created Department of Public Safety. This proved a watershed in the Rangers' history, marking their transformation into a modern law enforcement agency, the elite investigative force that they remain to this day.
Collective Efficacy: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on International Leadership by
Drawing from the works of renowned psychologist, Albert Bandura, an interdisciplinary and international group of collaborative and well-respected scholars demonstrate the positive impact of collective efficacy on an international scale. Bandura stated that "A group's attainments are the product not only of shared knowledge and skills of the different members, but also of the interactive, coordinative, and synergistic dynamics of their transactions" (Bandura, 2006, p. 316). In this book leaders from many professional disciplines and global cultures collectively shared research, understanding, and experiences about leadership development and growth. Disciplines include education, law, sociology, theology, psychology, law enforcement, aviation, corrections, criminal justice, military, peace and negotiation. Authors represent North America, Latin America, Asia, Middle East, Europe, and Africa. This book exemplifies the benefits of collective efficacy and bridging gaps among professions and scholars where there's often a tendency to work in silos and isolation. We share much that might benefit us and others when explored and discovered. Emergent themes include transformational leadership, servant leadership, service learning and community development, consciousness and emotional intelligence, leaders of the new millennium, and challenges for future collective efficacy.
Common Sense Police Supervision by
Revised, updated, and expanded, this practical hands-on book is packed full of step-by-step guidelines and suggestions for carrying out a multitude of leadership tasks and responsibilities focused on a changing work force that serves an equally changing and complex society. While emphasizing the real value of common sense in good leadership practices, the author furnishes the aspiring novice or veteran police supervisor with specific advice on how to train, counsel, inspect, discipline, and assess the performance of his or her subordinates. He strives to help the supervisor with the vital obligations of being a planner, a problem resolution officer, and effective communicator within as well as outside the law enforcement organization. Major topics include: (1) what supervision means and what you need to know; (2) supervisory ethics, professional responsibilities as a teacher, inspector, advocate, and role model; (3) the key qualities of true leadership; (4) the vital job as an evaluator of employee performance, discipline in the correction process, oral and written communication skills; (5) the skills needed when dealing with the news media; (6) assistance in planning a career as a first-line leader in supervision; (7) the skills necessary for effective counseling; (8) managing external and internal complaints; (9) an effective role in community policing and customer service; and (10) effective leadership of different generations. Each chapter concludes with a brief "Points to Remember" that provides a quickly-read and easily remembered checklist of the chapter's salient points. The sixth edition furnishes many more practical, helpful, and real-life examples pertaining to leadership issues. It offers a realistic approach to the challenging task of providing strong, effective leadership to front-line employees in a dynamic, demanding profession.
Leading Cops by
The purpose of this book is to provide the first-line leader with practical, time-proven guidance for making decisions that range from the seemingly mundane to the life-critical. The text emphasizes the importance of common sense applied to sound decision-making, and provides the first-line leader with the insight, experience, talents, and skills to meet specific challenges. The following topics are featured: why decision-making is important; assessing your people; employee grievances and fair decisions; setting a good example; making decisions concerning employee performance; disciplinary decision-making; troubled employees and compassionate decision-making; identifying high-risk behavior; keeping your officers alive; tactical decision-making; decision-making in critical incidents; handling media encounters; how to fix communication breakdowns; surviving the difficult boss and what your supervisor expects; surviving an organization's politics; making decisions when unsure of yourself; and making career plans. The embodiment of the text lies in its ability to involve the reader in tasks that must be accomplished following the use of lethal force by an officer, the leader's key duties and responsibilities to citizenry and his organization, responding effectively to high-risk, on the street scenarios, while simultaneously maintaining true professional calm and even-handedness. This book will be useful as a learning tool for those interested in preparing themselves for law enforcement supervisory or management positions, policymakers, and police academies.
Police Chief 101: Practical Advice for the Law Enforcement Leader by
This book will serve the new, veteran or wannabe chief equally well. Authored by a police chief with 50 years of law enforcement experience, it provides practical, commonsense advice for doing the multitude of jobs the chief faces with effectiveness and efficiency. It furnishes sound advice intended to help the chief retain his physical, emotional and ethical health while leading a professional law enforcement agency. This volume accomplishes all this at a time when too many people appear to have lost their moral compass, or their ability to be effective as leaders. While written especially for the CEOs of small- to medium-sized law enforcement agencies, the book will prove very useful to the leader of any law enforcement organization as well as those in the top ranks who aspire to head the agency one day. The author calls upon the experiences of many veteran law enforcement leaders in identifying common problems and offering practical solutions. This experience-based knowledge often comes from lessons learned the hard way by real people facing real tests and challenges. The author's intent is that readers can benefit on the body of knowledge that constitutes professional law enforcement leadership that will help to make chiefs of police truly effective law enforcement leaders.
Police Leadership by
Police organizations are much more accountable to their publics than ever before. Police Leadership: Organizational and Managerial Decision Making Process, 2/e examines why and how decisions are made and what can be done to direct current and future law enforcement leaders to rethink and adjust their decision making processes to keep up with the demands of our constantly changing society. The text discusses how police organizations function and respond based on the type of leadership and driving policies present in police organizations, and provides ideas about the best ways of dealing with the challenges and organizational problems that police agencies face every day.
The books in this category address burnout, PTSD, trauma, and other psychological impacts experienced among law enforcement and how to support their mental health.
Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: a Guide for Officers and Their Families by
Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement:A Guide for Officers and their Families, Revised Edition continues pointing out for the reader the social, psychological, and physiological costs of a law enforcement career first put forth in the original version of the book by the same title. The book spells out how the social perceptual set required of law enforcement officers to remain safe in tactical situations (Officer Safety) actually is setting the officers up for movement into an aftereffect of psychological issues that effect them personally and professionally. The book informs the reader of the specific psychological and physiological changes and increased risk to the law enforcement professional of depression, heart disease, and Type 2 Diabetes. The reader is given specific strategies to overcome the potentially negative impact of the law enforcement career and a specific road map on how to thrive and move to the status of being an Emotional Survivor of a life as a law enforcement professional.
Exploring the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Social, Cultural, Economic, and Psychological Insights and Perspectives by
This unique and topical book assesses the impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on a multitude of different aspects of human life. With chapters from researchers from a diverse selection of countries, this new volume, Exploring the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Social, Cultural, Economic, and Psychological Insights and Perspectives, provides an insightful understanding of the challenges and impacts of COVID-19 on mental health, health care, gender issues, education, social institutions, and more. The diverse studies in this volume look at community responses and social challenges during COVID-19, covering topics such as social protection challenges and measures, the responsibility of the state to its citizens, and human rights and inhuman wrongs. The volume also examines health challenges and consequences of COVID-19, such as the impact on maternal and reproductive health, on mental health, the psychological effects of isolation, and more. The volume also includes studies on gender issues such as the plight of women migrant workers during the pandemic, feminist activism during quarantine, the impact on vulnerable groups of society, and how the pandemic affected interpersonal relations and behavior. The volume also takes a look at the roles of different organizations and professions and their reactions to the health crisis, including police, journalists and the media, and educators. The issues of the closure of schools and colleges and remote learning are also addressed. There is even a mathematical study of optimum budget allocation for social projects to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The enlightening volume provides an in-depth understanding of sociocultural responses to the COVID-19 and its consequences on society and will be of value to many sectors of society, including government and nongovernment organizations, policymakers and policy analysts, medical research organizations, schools and universities, healthcare practitioners, sociologists, and many others.
The Psychology of Police Deadly Force Encounters by
The Psychology of Police Deadly Force Encounters: Science, Practice, and Police is a fascinating look into the reality of police work. The author integrates noted theories into a "street-wise" understanding of being a police officer. The focus of this book is on the use of deadly force by officers-a topic of considerable importance. The author discusses the psychosocial aspects of deadly force use, stemming from the individual officer, the situation, organizational influences, and the police culture. Expanding further into social issues, the controversial topic of race and use of deadly force is discussed. This depiction looks at both sides-that of racial victimization and that of the police-which helps to provide a rather unique perspective on this important issue. Of interest, the author breaks down the different dimensions of cognition as a factor in decision making among police, including the perception of the situation, the action taken depending on that perception, and the role of present and past memory. This will make for a useful training topic to alert officers to the cognitive processes that go into deadly force use-processes that they have the control to change to make a better decision. Next, the book delves into the biological factors that may be involved in police decision making-again where deadly force is involved. The various negative psychological impacts that a deadly force situation may bring about are identified and explained. This book will be useful as a tool for both law enforcement practitioners and researchers to better understand the intricacies of deadly force by the police. For researchers, the book has a multitude of references available for further exploration. It will prove to be a useful guide and reference volume for police managers and supervisors, mental health clinicians, investigators, attorneys, judges, law enforcement educators and trainers, rank and file police officers, including expert witnesses.
Public Safety Suicide: The Human Dimension by
This book takes an individual human approach to the problem of suicide in public safety occupations. As a researcher in suicide, coauthor John Violanti relies heavily upon statistics to make the case for prevention. These worthwhile statistics help to form the big picture, but one must keep in mind that these are just statistics and not people. With coauthor Mary Van Haute and her knowledge of the human condition and experience in interventions, she adds the human dimension by relating her stories of real people who worked in public safety occupations and their difficult and sometimes tragic consequences with near and completed suicide. Added to her expertise is her own life experience: she is a survivor of her brother's death by suicide. For the reader, the book provides a detailed insight into the reality of suicide and how it tears into the very fiber of being human in an occupational culture that requires one to forget emotions, feelings, and at times compassion. Stigma and a myriad of misnomers silence the majority of suicide attempt survivors, robbing suicide prevention specialists of lifesaving knowledge and perspective. Here are the stories of people who have balanced the risk of being judged and misunderstood with the value of being a mentor and role model to others. They share their stories about living with mental illness, addiction, and suicide in the hopes that it will have a positive impact on the readers and ultimately save a life. It is also a look back at the beaten path of Van Haute's own double road of grief--from a time of ignorance through years of hard-knocks education to a point of peaceful resolve, the trials and tasks facing a survivor of suicide loss are chronicled. Each chapter concludes with a case analysis of lessons learned from the story courageously shared. This book is an opportunity to see that there is life after lifelessness, hope after hopelessness and peace after restlessness.
The Resilience Toolkit: Powerful Ways to Thrive in Blue-light Services by
Today's workplace is fast-paced, highly complex, and sometimes even life-threatening. Yet it is possible to thrive in the ‘pressure cooker'of modern work life. We all have the right to enjoy rather than just endure work. In the unpredictability of even the most challenging environments, the route to success and fulfilment at work is to build our resilience. This ground-breaking book provides a highly effective toolkit that will empower you to survive, thrive and flourish in the dynamic and fast-changing context of blue-light services. Discover how to: Be ready for the unexpected, feel calm and confident under pressure and avoid burnout Reduce stress and anxiety by understanding the essential components of a resilient work life Evaluate your own resilience factor with the Workplace Resilience Instrument.
Do you want to find more popular reading material? Check out the HCC Library's Rapid Readers' Advisory LibGuide.
Are you wondering, what is readers' advisory? It is "the act of putting people together with the books they love," according to Diana Tixier Herald, author of Genreflecting.
City of Omens: A Search for the Missing Women of the Borderlands by
For decades, American hungers sustained Tijuana. In this scientific detective story, a public health expert reveals what happens when a border city's lifeline is brutally severed. Despite its reputation as a carnival of vice, Tijuana was, until recently, no more or less violent than neighboring San Diego, its sister city across the border wall. But then something changed. Over the past ten years, Mexico's third-largest city became one of the world's most dangerous. Tijuana's murder rate skyrocketed and produced a staggering number of female victims. Hundreds of women are now found dead in the city each year, or bound and mutilated along the highway that lines the Baja coast. When Dan Werb began to study these murders in 2013, rather than viewing them in isolation, he discovered that they could only be understood as one symptom among many. Environmental toxins, drug overdoses, HIV transmission: all were killing women at overwhelming rates. As an epidemiologist, trained to track epidemics by mining data, Werb sensed the presence of a deeper contagion targeting Tijuana's women. Not a virus, but some awful wrong buried in the city's social order, cutting down its most vulnerable inhabitants from multiple directions. Werb's search for the ultimate causes of Tijuana's femicide casts new light on immigration, human trafficking, addiction, and the true cost of American empire-building. It leads Werb all the way from factory slums to drug dens to the corridors of police corruption, as he follows a thread that ultimately leads to a surprising turn back over the border, looking northward. "City of Omens isa compelling and disturbing tour of a border world that outsiders rarely see -- and simultaneously, a clear guide to a field of public health that offers an essential framework for understanding how both ideas and diseases can spread." --MAIA SZALAVITZ, author of Unbroken Brain "Dan Werb combines his expertise as a trained epidemiologist with his keen discernment as an investigative journalist to depict what happens when poverty, human desperation, and unfathomable greed at the highest levels of a society mix with imperial ambition and a criminally ill-conceived policy towards drug use.It is a riveting and heartbreaking story, told with eloquence and compassion." --GABOR MATÃ%, MD, bestselling author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction "City of Omens isan urgent and needed account of a desperate problem. The perils that Mexico's women face haunt the conscience of a nation." --ALFREDO CORCHADO, author of Homelands and Midnight in Mexico
The Fishermen and the Dragon: Fear, Greed, and a Fight for Justice on the Gulf Coast by
New York Public Library Best of 2022 A gripping, twisting account of a small town set on fire by hatred, xenophobia, and ecological disaster-a story that weaves together corporate malfeasance, a battle over shrinking natural resources, a turning point in the modern white supremacist movement, and one woman's relentless battle for environmental justice. "Riveting...it has a little of everything that a thrilling story needs. It feels quite prescient, as if something we're living out now, you can see scenes of it then. A gripping book that deserves a wide readership."--George Packer, author of The Unwinding By the late 1970s, the fishermen of the Texas Gulf Coast were struggling. The bays that had sustained generations of shrimpers and crabbers before them were being poisoned by nearby petrochemical plants, oil spills, pesticides, and concrete. But as their nets came up light, the white shrimpers could only see one culprit- the small but growing number of newly resettled Vietnamese refugees who had recently started fishing. Turf was claimed. Guns were flashed. Threats were made. After a white crabber was killed by a young Vietnamese refugee in self-defense, the situation became a tinderbox primed to explode, and the Grand Dragon of the Texas Knights of the Ku Klux Klan saw an opportunity to stoke the fishermen's rage and prejudices. At a massive Klan rally near Galveston Bay one night in 1981, he strode over to an old boat graffitied with the words U.S.S. VIET CONG, torch in hand, and issued a ninety-day deadline for the refugees to leave or else "it's going to be a helluva lot more violent than Vietnam!" The white fishermen roared as the boat burned, convinced that if they could drive these newcomers from the coast, everything would return to normal. A shocking campaign of violence ensued, marked by burning crosses, conspiracy theories, death threats, torched boats, and heavily armed Klansmen patrolling Galveston Bay. The Vietnamese were on the brink of fleeing, until a charismatic leader in their community, a highly decorated colonel, convinced them to stand their ground by entrusting their fate with the Constitution. Drawing upon a trove of never-before-published material, including FBI and ATF records, unprecedented access to case files, and scores of firsthand interviews with Klansmen, shrimpers, law enforcement, environmental activists, lawyers, perpetrators and victims, Johnson uncovers secrets and secures confessions to crimes that went unsolved for more than forty years. This explosive investigation of a forgotten story, years in the making, ultimately leads Johnson to the doorstep of the one woman who could see clearly enough to recognize the true threat to the bays-and who now represents the fishermen's last hope.
The Man from the Train by
An Edgar Award finalist for Best Fact Crime, this "impressive...open-eyed investigative inquiry wrapped within a cultural history of rural America" (The Wall Street Journal) shows legendary statistician and baseball writer Bill James applying his analytical acumen to crack an unsolved century-old mystery surrounding one of the deadliest serial killers in American history. Between 1898 and 1912, families across the country were bludgeoned in their sleep with the blunt side of an axe. Jewelry and valuables were left in plain sight, bodies were piled together, faces covered with cloth. Some of these cases, like the infamous Villasca, Iowa, murders, received national attention. But few people believed the crimes were related. And fewer still would realize that all of these families lived within walking distance to a train station. When celebrated baseball statistician and true crime expert Bill James first learned about these horrors, he began to investigate others that might fit the same pattern. Applying the same know-how he brings to his legendary baseball analysis, he empirically determined which crimes were committed by the same person. Then after sifting through thousands of local newspapers, court transcripts, and public records, he and his daughter Rachel made an astonishing discovery: they learned the true identity of this monstrous criminal. In turn, they uncovered one of the deadliest serial killers in America. Riveting and immersive, with writing as sharp as the cold side of an axe, The Man from the Train paints a vivid, psychologically perceptive portrait of America at the dawn of the twentieth century, when crime was regarded as a local problem, and opportunistic private detectives exploited a dysfunctional judicial system. James shows how these cultural factors enabled such an unspeakable series of crimes to occur, and his groundbreaking approach to true crime will convince skeptics, amaze aficionados, and change the way we view criminal history.
South to America by
WINNER OF THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION, INAUGURAL WINNER OF THE 2024 INSIDE LITERARY PRIZE (Judged by incarcerated readers from 12 prisons), INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "An elegant meditation on the complexities of the American South--and thus of America--by an esteemed daughter of the South and one of the great intellectuals of our time. An inspiration." --Isabel Wilkerson An essential, surprising journey through the history, rituals, and landscapes of the American South--and a revelatory argument for why you must understand the South in order to understand America We all think we know the South. Even those who have never lived there can rattle off a list of signifiers: the Civil War, Gone with the Wind, the Ku Klux Klan, plantations, football, Jim Crow, slavery. But the idiosyncrasies, dispositions, and habits of the region are stranger and more complex than much of the country tends to acknowledge. In South to America, Imani Perry shows that the meaning of American is inextricably linked with the South, and that our understanding of its history and culture is the key to understanding the nation as a whole. This is the story of a Black woman and native Alabaman returning to the region she has always called home and considering it with fresh eyes. Her journey is full of detours, deep dives, and surprising encounters with places and people. She renders Southerners from all walks of life with sensitivity and honesty, sharing her thoughts about a troubling history and the ritual humiliations and joys that characterize so much of Southern life. Weaving together stories of immigrant communities, contemporary artists, exploitative opportunists, enslaved peoples, unsung heroes, her own ancestors, and her lived experiences, Imani Perry crafts a tapestry unlike any other. With uncommon insight and breathtaking clarity, South to America offers an assertion that if we want to build a more humane future for the United States, we must center our concern below the Mason-Dixon Line.
You Have the Right to Remain Innocent: What Police Officers Tell Their Children About the Fifth Amendment by
An urgent, compact manifesto that will teach you how to protect your rights, your freedom, and your future when talking to police. Law professor James J. Duane became a viral sensation thanks to a 2008 lecture outlining the reasons why you should never agree to answer questions from the police--especially if you are innocent and wish to stay out of trouble with the law. In this timely, relevant, and pragmatic new book, he expands on that presentation, offering a vigorous defense of every citizen's constitutionally protected right to avoid self-incrimination. Getting a lawyer is not only the best policy, Professor Duane argues, it's also the advice law-enforcement professionals give their own kids. Using actual case histories of innocent men and women exonerated after decades in prison because of information they voluntarily gave to police, Professor Duane demonstrates the critical importance of a constitutional right not well or widely understood by the average American. Reflecting the most recent attitudes of the Supreme Court, Professor Duane argues that it is now even easier for police to use your own words against you. This lively and informative guide explains what everyone needs to know to protect themselves and those they love.
More test preparation materials can be found online at the Mometrix eLibrary Database. If you see a Bad Gateway error from on-campus, try this link: https://portal.mometrixelibrary.com/.
Careers for the Criminal Justice Major by
The purpose of this book is to address the proper preparation for careers in criminal justice. Now more than ever, there is a societal demand for willing college graduates who are prepared to enter the field at the basic level, and eager to develop themselves into positions of responsibility and leadership. Due to rapid and continuous changes in technology and overall society, students entering the field of criminal justice employment will be expected to adjust to changes in their line of work. This book describes the realistic descriptions of the various entry-level positions that are offered, and practical information is provided to maximize efficiency in the selection of academic courses that will improve a student's likelihood of success during the application process. Major topics include: A Short History of Criminal Justice as an Academic Study; The Nature of Professions; Electives that Will Help; The Importance of an Internship; Disqualifiers and What to Avoid During College Years; Stereotypes and Misperceptions in Criminal Justice Employment; Careers in Law Enforcement, Corrections, and Private Security; Graduate School and Law School; Realistic Alternatives; Networking, Looking for Employment Leads, and References; Preparing for Testing and the Interview; Preparing for Transfers to Specialized Units and Promotions; and the Roles of Nontraditional Students, Minorities, and Women in Criminal Justice. The names of state law enforcement training councils, federal law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, state regulatory agencies, federal regulatory agencies, and criminal justice professional associations are contained in the Appendices to assist students and faculty members. This valuable resource is designed to assist college students majoring in criminal justice, police academics, and law enforcement professionals.
Careers in Protective Services
Understanding the wide scope of jobs open to someone interested in protective services, from first responders to social workers, is important for anyone preparing for a career in protective services, including opportunities working for federal state, or local governments like police and fire departments or in Homeland Security; for nonprofits and organizations that help care for children, the elderly, or those suffering from mental illness or substance abuse; and even in for-profit, private practices as detectives and investigators.
Contemporary Criminal Justice Careers by
Picking up where Exploring and Understanding Careers in Criminal Justice, left off, Matthew J. Sheridan and Thomas J. Lalka provide an updated guide for the novice and professional alike. The chapters are crafted to provide essential information to guide the job seeker from entrance into the profession, through career development, occupational refocus, professional options, to retirement preparation. Taking into consideration the effects of the pandemic, current social unrest, and recent tragedies, the authors examine how the "new normal" will bring change and opportunities throughout criminal justice careers. With an emphasis on planning, personal development, and preparation this book outlines career paths that can provide rewards for satisfaction during and after careers. On top of invaluable information on a variety of specific careers, this book also includes sixteen appendices that cover successful job hunting, internships, a guide to interview questions, a document portfolio checklist, paying for college, and profiles of 18 professionals in criminal justice field from a parole officer to a correctional architect. This is an excellent resource for students, faculty, advisors, and classroom instruction for guidance into a successful criminal justice career that will be loved, from first employment to retirement.
DSST Introduction to Law Enforcement Exam Secrets Study Guide by
***Includes Practice Test Questions*** DSST Introduction to Law Enforcement Exam Secrets helps you ace the Dantes Subject Standardized Tests, without weeks and months of endless studying. Our comprehensive DSST Introduction to Law Enforcement Exam Secrets study guide is written by our exam experts, who painstakingly researched every topic and concept that you need to know to ace your test. Our original research reveals specific weaknesses that you can exploit to increase your exam score more than you've ever imagined. DSST Introduction to Law Enforcement Exam Secrets includes: The 5 Secret Keys to DSST Success: Time is Your Greatest Enemy, Guessing is Not Guesswork, Practice Smarter, Not Harder, Prepare, Don't Procrastinate, Test Yourself; A comprehensive General Strategy review including: Make Predictions, Answer the Question, Benchmark, Valid Information, Avoid Fact Traps, Milk the Question, The Trap of Familiarity, Eliminate Answers, Tough Questions, Brainstorm, Read Carefully, Face Value, Prefixes, Hedge Phrases, Switchback Words, New Information, Time Management, Contextual Clues, Don't Panic, Pace Yourself, Answer Selection, Check Your Work, Beware of Directly Quoted Answers, Slang, Extreme Statements, Answer Choice Families; Along with a complete, in-depth study guide for your specific DSST exam, and much more...
High-Risk Patrol: Reducing the Danger to You by
This book provides a general orientation for survival, using the author's "everyone goes home" approach as in previous editions, to keep the police officer safe and secure. It details the specifics the intelligent police professional must master in order to survive the many types of risky situations he will be exposed to over a career. The book is painstakingly thorough in its approach to officer survival in an era where peacekeepers are required to be highly transparent and accountable in all their actions. Every use of force by a law enforcement officer will be closely scrutinized. This is one reason why it is important that today's officer has access to every viable tactic and technique that may prevent the need for force in the first place. The book details everything from searching an arrested individual to searching a building; arresting a 300-pound outlaw biker to a surly teenager. Techniques and strategies discussed in the book include personal preparation for risk reduction, vehicle stops and contacts, defusing disturbances, domestic violence, burglaries and structure searching, barricades and hostage-takers, vehicle pursuits, ambush attacks, emotionally disturbed and mentally ill persons, prisoner control and transport, terrorist threats, off-duty confrontations, and reducing the emotional risks involved. At the end of each vital chapter, a quick and concise "Risk Reduction Checklist" is presented. These chapter summaries are excellent for review and merit rereading by the police professional intent on surviving to a healthy retirement. An Appendix has been included containing informative accounts of police deaths, culled from the "Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Report" put together by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Other accounts are also found at the end of each chapter. Each one makes a point by way of grim example, yet every tragedy described can help save the life of an alert police officer who might otherwise become one more statistic. This unique and comprehensive text will be invaluable to all law enforcement professionals, investigators, policymakers, and police academics.
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