Stop Trying to Fix Policing

Tony Gaskew is professor of criminal justice, affiliate faculty of Africana studies, director of the criminal justice program, and founding director of the prison education program at the University of Pittsburgh, Bradford.

Some might claim that this short book is just a polemic, not to be taken as seriously as standard criminological research conducted according to conventions of objectivity and detachment. However, the author would rightly maintain that such rhetoric disguises a deferential commitment to a brutal status quo. In fact, Gaskew pursues a key principle of good sociological practice here, namely, that it is more important to focus on outcomes rather than official discourses. Gaskew applies this method to policing, identifying key myths, such as that policing is dangerous for police, that it is an effective mechanism for public safety, that police are at risk of disciplinary action, and, most critically, that police reform is possible. In fact, policing is rooted in legacies of white supremacy and violence. Grounding his argument in critical race theory, Gaskew makes a reasonable case for abolition. Recommended.

• ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Learning to Speak the Language of Police Abolition Chapter 2: Unfriending Policing Chapter 3: Decolonizing the State Narrative Chapter 4: Community Self-Determination Chapter 5: Black Armed Resistance References Index About the Author