Death Before Sentencing
Making a case for substantial prison reform, this week's review examines the lack of accountability American county and local jail systems take for the avoidable deaths of detainees.
Posted on in Review of the Week
The Torture Letters
This week marks a year since the murder of George Floyd, which sparked thousands of protests around the world against police brutality and racial injustice. The Torture Letters examines the history and scale of police violence in Chicago, including "racist fears of 'the other'" embedded in its roots.
Posted on May 24, 2021 in Review of the Week
The Torture Letters: Reckoning with Police Violence
Ralph, Laurence. Chicago, 2020
242p bibl index, 9780226490533 $75.00, 9780226650098 $19.00, 9780226729800
Ralph (Princeton Univ.), an anthropologist, explores the history and meaning of the torture inflicted on African American suspects by the Chicago police. Utilizing a series of open letters addressed to politicians, victims, and other Chicagoans, he argues that torture is a manifestation of a system of policing that normalizes and rationalizes the use of force against marginalized members of the community. Ralph describes this system as a “torture tree,” rooted in racist fears of “the other,” that produces a foliage of abuse and mistreatment. Police harassment, intimidation, and shootings are all leaves of this tree. Hence, simply compensating victims of police violence and condemning a few “bad apples” cannot sufficiently combat the issue. Ralph implores readers to address the problem from the roots and the branches, challenging the ideology and institutional power underlying social injustice in Chicago. The clear willingness of authorities and the public to abide mistreatment, even torture, lends this argument considerable force. While the open letter format occasionally seems strained, this approach allows the author to express his righteous anger and to make his appeal for change more directly to a wider audience.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.
Reviewer: P. C. Kennedy, York College of Pennsylvania
Interdisciplinary Subjects: African and African American Studies
Subject: Social & Behavioral Sciences – Sociology
Choice Issue: Oct 2020
Enjoy this week’s review? Check out other reviews of African and African American Studies titles:
- A Black Women’s History of the United States
- Reclaiming the Great World House: The Global Vision of Martin Luther King Jr.
- Furious Flower: Seeding the Future of African American Poetry
- Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity
- Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
- Encyclopedia of the Black Arts Movement
Related Posts
-
-
Making the MexiRican City
To commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month, this week's review analyzes the community-building and activist practices Mexican and Puerto Rican migrants employed in 20th-century Michigan.
Posted on in Review of the Week
-
Understanding and Teaching Contemporary US History Since Reagan
This week's review offers a roadmap for teaching contemporary US history, providing instructors with tips to tackle recent divisive topics and engage students with primary sources.
Posted on in Review of the Week
-
Laboring for Justice
Researching the experiences of day laborers in Denver, Colorado, this week's review examines wage theft and nefarious labor practices that reflect broader systemic labor issues in the US.
Posted on in Review of the Week