In a collection of compelling contributions to the study of the nexus between race, crime, and justice, noted scholars in the field critique many long-held assumptions and myths about race, challenging criminal justice policymakers to develop new and effective strategies for dealing with the social problems such misunderstandings create. In sections devoted to criminological theory, law enforcement, courts and the law, juvenile delinquency, and gender, contributors endeavor to dispel myths about African-American involvement in the criminal justice system. In so doing, a number of important facts are established about the race/crime nexus. For example, in an analysis of criminological theory, it is concluded that race, as a singular social factor, has not been adequately represented in existing paradigms. The subject of police profiling of African-Americans reveals an evolution of court decisions that have marginalized, rather than liberated, African-Americans since slavery. Each contributor challenges both the reader and the criminal justice system to develop meaningful strategies for addressing the racism that still pervades our system of justice.

A chapter on women of color in prison makes a compelling argument that such institutions often represent safer environments than the life on the streets women leave behind. This persuasive volume will be of interest to undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty in Sociology, Criminal Justice, policy development, African-American and Women's Studies.

Preface
Race and the Study of Crime
Theoretical Explanations of the Nexus between Race and Crime by Michael W. Markowitz
The Alchemy of Race and Crime Research by Paul Knepper
Deconstructing the Association of Race and Crime: The Salience of Skin Color by Becky L. Tatum
The Empirical Status of the Black Subculture of Violence Thesis by Liqun Cao, Anthony Adams, and Vickie J. Jensen
Policing, Race, and Justice
Determinents of Black-to-White Arrest Differentials: A Review of the Literature by Steven R. Cureton
Understanding the Connections between Race and Police Violence by Helen Taylor Greene
The King-Denny Tapes: Their Analysis and Implications for Police Use of Force Training by H. Bruce Pierce
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Police Profiles by Scott L. Johnson
Conceptual Incarceration: A Thirteenth Amendment Look at African-Americans & Policing by Ramona Brockett
Black and White Perceptions of the Appropriateness of Police Conduct by Daniel Kolodziejski, et al.
Race, Courts, and the Law
Race as a Legal Construct: The Implications for American Justice by Delores D. Jones-Brown
The Impact of Racial Demography on Jury Verdicts in Routine Adjudication by James P. Levine
Race and Ethnic Bias in Sentencing Decisions: A Review and Critique of the Literature by Darren E. Warner
Media Images and the Victimization of Black Women: Exploring the Impact of Sexual Stereotyping on Prosecutorial Decision-Making by Norma Manatu-Rupert
Racial Dimensions of Punishment and Delinquency
The Significance of Race in the Use of Restitution by Evelyn Gilbert
Diversity in a Jail Work Setting: Evaluating the Impact of Racial Intolerance by Annette M. Girondi and Michael W. Markowitz
Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: Discrimination or Disproportionality of Delinquent Acts? by Janice Joseph
Substance Abuse and Race in a Delinquent Population by Philip W. Harris, Peter R. Jones, and Jamie J. Fader
Prisons as "Safe Havens" for African-American Women by Zelma Weston-Henriques and Delores D. Jones-Brown
Index