Criminal Justice - Ferguson, MO | Background & Contexts

Featured Resource: Newspaper Source

Newspaper Source
Newspaper Source offers cover-to-cover full text for hundreds of national (US), international, and regional newspapers. Also includes television and radio news transcripts from major networks.

The Grand Jury Decision } PBS NewsHour

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch announces that a grand jury has decided not to indict Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.

November 24, 2014

Readings

The Milwaukee Experiment: What can one prosecutor do about the mass incarceration of African-Americans?
The New Yorker | May 11, 2015
How the Ferguson Grand Jury Process Works | Washington Post
November 24, 2014
The Hyper-Criminalization of Black and Latino Male Youth in the Era of Mass Incarceration
September 21, 2006 | Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society
more...less...
In the era of mass incarceration, Black and Latino youth face a coming of age crisis determined by criminalization and carceralization. The majority of Black and Latino inmates are youth; almost three quarters of all Black and Latino jail and prison inmates in the U.S. are between the ages of 20-39.
How Does a Grand Jury Work? | FindLaw
Also available as a pdf.

TED Talks: Racial Injustice

Human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson shares some hard truths about America's justice system, starting with a massive imbalance along racial lines: a third of the country's black male population has been incarcerated at some point in their lives.

TED: Ideas worth spreading

@ the Library

These are just a selection from the Library's collection. A complete list of related titles can be found in our Ferguson Materials Featured List.

Policing the Black Man by Angela J. Davis (Editor)
Call Number: HV9950 .P64 2017
ISBN: 110187127X
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Although Jim Crow laws have been wiped off the books, an astounding percentage of the African American community remains trapped in a subordinate status, much like their grandparents before them, who lived under an explicit system of control.
Call Number: HV9950 .A437
ISBN: 1595581030
Date: Also available on OverDrive.
The Presumption of Guilt by Charles Ogletree Charles Ogletree, one of the country's foremost experts on civil rights, uses this incident as a lens through which to explore issues of race, class, and crime, with the goal of creating a more just legal system for all. Working from years of research and based on his own classes and experiences with law enforcement, the author illuminates the steps needed to embark on the long journey toward racial and legal equality for all Americans.
Call Number: E185.615 .O36 2010
ISBN: 023010326X
Pulled Over by Charles R. Epp; Steven Maynard-Moody; Donald P. Haider-Markel Looking beyond the license plate -- The decision to stop a driver -- Experiences during the stop -- How investigatory intrusions are deliberately planned (and racially based) -- Evaluating the stop : looking beyond official politeness -- The broader lessons (and harms) of police stops -- Toward racial justice in police stops
Call Number: HV7936.R3 E77 2014
ISBN: 022611399X
Punishing Race by Michael H. Tonry A damning indictment of decades of misguided criminal justice policy, Punishing Race takes a crucial look at persisting racial injustice in America. Studies in Crime and Public Policy.
Call Number: HV9950 .T667 2011
ISBN: 0199751374
Suspicion Nation by Lisa Bloom Inside story of the Trayvon Martin injustice and why we continue to repeat it.
Call Number: E184.A1 B56 2014
ISBN: 161902327X
Unfair by Adam Benforado A law professor sounds an explosive alarm on the hidden unfairness of our legal system. Available on OverDrive..
ISBN: 9780770437770
Date: eBook