The Color of Crime: Racial Hoaxes, White Fear, Black Protectionism, Police Harassment and Other Macroaggressions is a 1998 book by American academic Katheryn Russell-Brown (Katheryn K. Russell at the time of the book's publication), published by New York University Press (NYUP), with a second edition in 2008. The book discusses the topic of race and crime in the United States, particularly in the context of black–white relations.
 The second edition published in 2008 | |
| Author | Katheryn Russell-Brown |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | New York University Press |
Publication date | 1998 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 203 |
| ISBN | 0-8147-7471-7 |
It looks at the stereotypes of black men as criminals (what she refers to as the "criminalblackman" myth); whether black people commit a disproportionate amount of crime; how the criminal stereotypes have enabled the use of "racial hoaxes"; whether black people are discriminated against in society, in law enforcement, and in the justice system; white supremacism and white racism; how black people protect their own; and the idea of "macroagression" where a whole society is involved in persecuting a group.[1] The book has been widely cited since its publication.[citation needed]
Synopsis
editThe Color of Crime provides an overview of race, crime, and law, beginning with a discussion of slavery.[2] Russell-Brown writes that crime and young black men have become synonymous in the American mind, giving rise to the "criminalblackman" stereotype.[3]
The book popularised the term "racial hoax", which Russell-Brown defines as occurring when someone fabricates a crime and blames it on another person because of their race or when an actual crime has been committed and the perpetrator falsely blames someone because of their race.[4] It gives the cases of Susan Smith, Jesse Anderson, and Charles Stuart as examples of racial hoaxes.[5] She proposes six principles to achieve fairness in the criminal justice system:
- Criminal penalties apply to everyone, regardless of the race of the offender.
- Criminal penalties apply to everyone, regardless of the race of the victim.
- The race of the offender is not relevant in determining whether his actions constitute a crime. The offender's actions would have been considered criminal, even if he were another race.
- The race of the victim is not relevant in determining whether the offender's action constitutes a crime.
- The offender's racial pedigree (e.g., "degree of Blackness") is not used to determine punishment.
- There are checks and balances that mitigate against racial bias within the legal system.[6][7]
Reception
editThe Color of Crime has been widely cited since its publication and has been described as a pivotal book.[8] NYUP states the book was "heralded as a path-breaking book".[9] An edition of the American Journal of Sociology states that Russell-Brown makes an "indispensable, intelligent, and practical contribution" to the issues of race and crime.[6] Erica Chito Childs in Fade to Black and White: Interracial Images in Popular Culture (2009) writes that the book provides an excellent analysis of the media reaction in the O. J. Simpson murder case.[10]
However, Russell-Brown, who is African-American, and the book have been criticised for being biased.[11] Critics have said the book downplays the level of black crime and that it over-attributes black crime to a discriminatory justice system.
References
edit- ^ "The Color of Crime: Racial Hoaxes, White Fear, Black Protectionism, Police Harassment, and other Macroaggressions"[dead link] Ethnic Studies Review. 1 January 1998. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
- ^ Russell, Katheryn K.; Pfeifer, Heather L.; Jones, Judith L. (2000). Race and Crime: An Annotated Bibliography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 121. ISBN 0-313-31033-5
- ^ Russell-Brown, p. 71.
- ^ Russell-Brown, p. 70.
- ^ Russell-Brown, pp. 69–70.
- ^ a b March 1999. [Review by Hernán Vera] (via JSTOR). American Journal of Sociology 104 (5): pp. 1548–1550.
- ^ Miller, Erin. "Black, Poor, and Incarcerated: Criminal Justice in America" Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine. peaceworkmagazine.org (Peacework Magazine). July/August 2000. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
- ^ Rome, Denis (2004). Black Demons: The Media's Depiction of the African American Male Criminal Stereotype. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 3. ISBN 0-275-97244-5
- ^ "The Color of Crime (Second Edition)". New York University Press. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
- ^ Childs, Erica Chito (2009). Fade to Black and White: Interracial Images in Popular Culture. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-7425-6079-6
- ^ "The Color of Crime: Racial Hoaxes, White Fear, Black Protectionism, Police Harassment and Other Macroaggressions" Archived 2012-01-10 at the Wayback Machine. Law and Politics Book Review website citing a review by Randy Glean in Law and Politics Book Review 8 (6): pp. 268–269.