TY - JOUR
T1 - The racialization of crime and punishment
T2 - Criminal justice, color-blind racism, and the political economy of the prison industrial complex
AU - Brewer, Rose M.
AU - Heitzeg, Nancy A.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2011 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2008/1
Y1 - 2008/1
N2 - The current explosion in criminalization and incarceration is unprecedented in size, scope, and negative consequences-both direct and collateral-for communities of color. These macro systems exist in relationality to the micro dynamics of living in the midst of police scrutiny, economic marginalization, and political disenfranchisement. Critical race theory is a guide for pedagogy and praxis in exploring the racist and classist foundations of current micro and macro injustices. Using Supreme Court opinions and the voices of political prisoner/prisoners of conscience as evidence of the dominant text and the dissent, this article explores the following issues: the roots of U.S. law, criminal justice, and mass imprisonment in classism and racism; the political economy of the criminal justice system and the prison industrial complex; the intersectionality of injustices rooted in micro and macro systems; and the role of prisoners of conscience/ political prisoners in inspiring resistance to micro and macro injustice.
AB - The current explosion in criminalization and incarceration is unprecedented in size, scope, and negative consequences-both direct and collateral-for communities of color. These macro systems exist in relationality to the micro dynamics of living in the midst of police scrutiny, economic marginalization, and political disenfranchisement. Critical race theory is a guide for pedagogy and praxis in exploring the racist and classist foundations of current micro and macro injustices. Using Supreme Court opinions and the voices of political prisoner/prisoners of conscience as evidence of the dominant text and the dissent, this article explores the following issues: the roots of U.S. law, criminal justice, and mass imprisonment in classism and racism; the political economy of the criminal justice system and the prison industrial complex; the intersectionality of injustices rooted in micro and macro systems; and the role of prisoners of conscience/ political prisoners in inspiring resistance to micro and macro injustice.
KW - Color-blind racism
KW - Critical race theory
KW - Prison industrial complex
KW - Racism and the criminal justice system
KW - Racism and the law
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U2 - 10.1177/0002764207307745
DO - 10.1177/0002764207307745
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:37249085268
SN - 0002-7642
VL - 51
SP - 625
EP - 644
JO - American Behavioral Scientist
JF - American Behavioral Scientist
IS - 5
ER -