Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America

by James Forman Jr.

No Customer Reviews

Select Format

Select Condition

Book Overview

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction
Long-listed for the National Book Award
Los Angeles Times Book Prizes Finalist
New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of the Year

"A beautiful book, written so well, that gives us the origins and consequences of where we are . . . I can see why the Pulitzer prize] was awarded." --Trevor Noah, The Daily Show

Former public defender James Forman, Jr. is a leading critic of mass incarceration and its disproportionate impact on people of color. In Locking Up Our Own, he seeks to understand the war on crime that began in the 1970s and why it was supported by many African American leaders in the nation's urban centers.

Forman shows us that the first substantial cohort of black mayors, judges, and police chiefs took office amid a surge in crime and drug addiction. Many prominent black officials, including Washington, D.C. mayor Marion Barry and federal prosecutor Eric Holder, feared that the gains of the civil rights movement were being undermined by lawlessness--and thus embraced tough-on-crime measures, including longer sentences and aggressive police tactics. In the face of skyrocketing murder rates and the proliferation of open-air drug markets, they believed they had no choice. But the policies they adopted would have devastating consequences for residents of poor black neighborhoods.

A former D.C. public defender, Forman tells riveting stories of politicians, community activists, police officers, defendants, and crime victims. He writes with compassion about individuals trapped in terrible dilemmas--from the men and women he represented in court to officials struggling to respond to a public safety emergency. Locking Up Our Own enriches our understanding of why our society became so punitive and offers important lessons to anyone concerned about the future of race and the criminal justice system in this country.

Format:Paperback

Language:English

ISBN:0374537445

ISBN13:9780374537449

Release Date:February 2018

Publisher:Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Length:320 Pages

Weight:0.66 lbs.

Dimensions:0.9" x 5.4" x 8.1"

Related Subjects

Police Brutality Social Justice Movements The Legal System Non-Fiction Racial Injustice Political Science Politics & Social Sciences Social Science Social Sciences

Customer Reviews

0 rating

Write a review

Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America Mentions in Our Blog

What We're Reading: 2018's Award-Winning Books!

Published by Beth Clark • December 18, 2018

The Pulitzer. The Man Booker Prize. The National Book Awards. The Edgar Awards. All of them generally mean one thing: the books they're awarded to definitely don't suck. In fact, they're brilliant and incredible and moving and mesmerizing and disturbing and powerful and funny and, well...you'll just have and read them for yourself. Below are the winners of the most prestigious prizes, so enjoy.

Read Article

ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.

Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ^® and the ThriftBooks ^® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC

Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America

Select Format

Select Condition

Recommended

Book Overview

Customer Reviews

Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America Mentions in Our Blog

Popular Categories

Website

My Account

Partnerships

Quick Help

About Us

Follow Us