A reasonably well educated leftist might not find much surprising in these essays but this is a great resource. Having all the aspects of the justice system dissected and laid out, piece by piece, with their flaws and the obstacles against black men along with extensive statistics and attention to detail makes this an important book. Most of the essays are very accessible despite being quite academic in tone.

Such an important read in today's political climate. Policing the Black Man explains and demonstrates exactly what the Black Lives Matters movement has been trying to convey to the mainstream for years. The vivid accounts make it easy to relate to no matter where you stand on the political spectrum and impossible to deny the injustice done to the African American race.

A hard look at the American penal system--from cops, to court, to prison--is past due, and within this scholarly but crystal-clear series of essays, the broken justice system that still rules unequally over all inside USA borders is viewed under a bright light. Isn’t it about time? Thank you to Doubleday and Net Galley for the DRC. It’s for sale, and anyone with an interest in seeing change should read it. Caucasian readers that still can’t figure out why so many African-Americans are so upset should buy this book at full price, and they should read it twice. If you read this collection and still don’t understand why most Civil Rights advocates are calling out that Black Lives Matter, it likely means you didn’t want to know. But bring your literacy skills when you come; well documented and flawless in both reason and presentation, it’s not a book that individuals without college-ready reading skills will be able to master.

The most horrifying aspect of American policing and prosecution is the way that Black boys are targeted. Sometimes only 10 or 12 years of age, they find themselves in the crosshairs of suspicion and implicit bias no matter what they do. Of course, the presumption that someone is violent, is dangerous, is guilty is never acceptable, and men and women all over the USA have seen it happen. However, most cultures hold their children dearest, and so what happens when every African-American boy grows up knowing that cops will assume he has done something wrong because he has stopped on the street corner, or not stopped; walked too slowly, or too quickly; looked away, or looked around down; what happens when an entire subset of the US population knows that he was essentially outlawed from the cradle?

Those that care about justice won’t want to read this collection while eating, and you won’t want to read it at bedtime, either. How do you swallow? How do you fall asleep when what you want to do is hit a wall? This reviewer’s own family is racially mixed, and when I consider the easy good humor of the Black men in my family, I wonder how they do it. And yet I know the answer: you can’t be angry seven days a week or your life is already over. They face American racism with fatalistic humor and get on with their lives.

That shouldn’t be necessary.

These essays each zero in one particular area of policing. Implicit bias is addressed, as is the failure of the US government to even admit that a problem exists. The Supreme Court has adopted the ivory-tower position that American justice is colorblind, centuries of evidence to the contrary notwithstanding. There is no database at all regarding the deaths of Black boys and men by cops, and no requirement that anyone keep track. Does it make a difference if the prosecutor is Black? There’s no data. None.

And did you know that 95% of the people charged with a crime plead guilty? Prosecutors hold so much power that often a completely innocent person can be persuaded not to risk having an extra charge, and extra time, tacked on. Prosecutors get to decide whether a crime should be pursued as a state crime, which has far more lenient implications, or as a felony. Cops are out in the public eye—and thank goodness they are—but prosecutors do things quietly, often behind closed doors.

Davis’s own article alone is worth the purchase price of this collection, but once you have it in your hands, you will want to read the whole thing; and you should. You should do it, and then you should become involved. Protest in the way you are able, but don’t sit idly by and watch. Protest, because Black Lives Matter, and until this country admits that it has a race problem, how can any of us breathe?

Very informative and readable collection of essays on unjust policing practices, racial bias, unfair prosecution, and the mass incarceration of Black men. Also contains timely and insightful analysis of the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as many of the police shootings of unarmed men that have been in the press recently (Philando Castile, Walter Scott, and Laquan McDonald). Received my copy from NetGalley, but will recommend this as a purchase to anyone interested in this topic.

Policing the Black Man is a detailed guide to how institution racism affects every aspect of the criminal justice system. It’s a compilation of essays, written by different authors, that includes topics such as the police shootings of unarmed black men, the prosecution of both black men in general and in police officers involved in shootings, the grand jury process, and the regular criminal trial sentencing process.

I learned so much from this book. Prior to reading this, I had mostly considered the racial bias of the police force and the judges in criminal trials. I didn’t really know anything about how the grand jury process works. And turns out, no one else does either. It’s highly secret and only the prosecutor and the jury know what happens behind the closed doors of the trial.

The essay on prosecutors was enlightening as well. I didn’t realize how much the prosecutor can affect the outcome of the trial. I figured that it affected how black men were treated as defendants but didn’t consider how the prosecutor affect the process when it’s a police officer on trial. I guess I assumed that the prosecutor always fights wholeheartedly for the government’s side no matter who he’s prosecuting. However, this isn’t always the case because of the close relationship between the prosecutor and the police. The police need prosecutors to prosecute the people they arrest and the prosecutors need the police officers to testify in the criminal trials. Therefore, the prosecutors might be reluctant to upset the police department by sending some of their officers to prison.

I liked the way Policing the Black Man was structured, in that each essay was about a different topic. It was easy to read an essay or two in a sitting without feeling like I was getting information overload. The essays are thoroughly researched with copious notes after each one. This book is a comprehensive look at the institutional racism present in the criminal justice system. I highly, highly recommend it.

This is a book that should be read by all. This is a detailed, essay formatted book on racism. This book covers many different basis such from the past to the present. What I truly enjoyed about the book was the statistics and facts to back up what had been written. I did learn some new things. With the climate of the world today, I wish everyone would read this book. The insight is magnificent. I will be buying this book for family and friends. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

This book is a collection of eleven essays about the injustice when it comes to the criminal justice system and African Americans.
Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This was a very persuasive, informative book on the unfairness in how African Americans are treated in this country. This book was extremely well written and well researched. It brought all the facts to the forefront. And the astonishing facts you will read about in this book are difficult to ignore. My favorite essays were "Boys to Men: The Role of Policing in the Socialization of Black Boys" by Kristin Henning. This essay was particularly important because it discussed children, our upcoming generations of children and how they are affected growing up in a country where our criminal justice system unfairly treats African Americans. My other favorite essay was "The Prosecution of Black Men" by Angela J. Davis because it was the essay that I learned the most. Like others I was focusing on the police and did not realize how huge of an impact prosecutors have in the unjust treatment of African Americans. The only criticism I have of this book is it was a bit repetitive. But being repetitive for this country to change we probably need to hear this over and over again. I think this book should be read in schools, basically everyone should read this book. But it should first be a mandatory read for police officers and everyone involved in our criminal justice system.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Angela J. Davis (including all the authors who were a part of this book) and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Policing the Black Man is a collection of essays detailing both the history of racism in the United States' criminal justice system and the issues we face today. These essays were written by various criminal justice experts. The essays are strongly connected to modern issues, discussing recent killings of black men by police and the Black Lives Matter movement. 

The essays are laid out in a common sense manner, beginning with the roots of racism in criminal justice and moving forward to where we are today. They are all extremely well-written and, for the most part, easily digestible by the layperson. Some of the material presented was things I already knew, but the details and additional statistics provided allowed me to more fully grasp what has been going on. A decent amount of the material provided was brand new to me--for instance, I had no idea to what extent prosecutors were involved in racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

This book was extremely eye-opening to me, particularly as a white woman of relative privilege. This book provided everything I look for in a non-fiction book, from good writing to fascinating content. I highlighted endlessly, whenever notable statistics or vital information came up. Its only downfall was that a handful of sections became a little too technical at times and I got lost in them. Otherwise, this was an incredibly important read that I recommend to all, particularly those with an interest in racial relations and/or the criminal justice system.