No Equal Justice: Race and Class in the American Criminal Justice System

Cole, a lawyer and Georgetown University professor, puts teeth into the argument that America has two separate systems of justice--one for the privileged and educated, another for the poor and less educated, which often means black and Latino people living in inner cities. Citing recent cases from around the country, he documents widespread police brutality and corruption, including planting evidence and lying to win convictions. He demonstrates the likelihood that several police tactics--e.g., pretextual traffic stops--that are routinely applied to racial minorities would not be tolerated if applied to more privileged citizens. Cole's catalogue of inequities is no less damning for being familiar: defendants charged with killing white victims get the death penalty far more often than defendants charged with killing black victims; state-appointed lawyers for indigent defendants are often overburdened and grossly incompetent. Cole goes beyond complaint, however, and offers a reform strategy. Among the measures he calls for are a shift away from mass incarceration toward community policing, ""shaming"" penalties in lieu of jail for some offenders and offering monetary or other incentives to disadvantaged youth to stay in school. Cole's book is a well-argued, passionate plea for an unabashedly liberal program to fight crime while honoring the constitution's protection of individual rights. (Jan.)