Scan barcode
hanbury's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.5
The End of Policing was an informative book and good compilation of statistics and resources. It is written fairly accessibly - I would give this book to someone wanting to learn the basics of "why are the police bad," but for someone who already understands abolition more in depth, it may be disappointing.
I did find the chapter on education and the school-to-prison pipeline interesting - I had not made the connection between policing and policing outcomes and the implementation of standardized testing and high-stakes grading. I would be fascinated to see future research into policing outcomes in educational institutions that participate in "ungrading" or use mastery-based learning over grade-based learning.
Throughout the book, I was surprised at how conservative some of the author's views were (or at least seemed to be). In the chapter on sex work, Vitale asks "do these approaches [alternatives to policing sex work] encourage sexual commerce by giving [sex work] the patina of legitimacy?" (p128) Shortly after discounting sex work abolitionists/prohibitionists who push these stances on a moralizing basis, the author uses the phrase "patina of legitimacy" about the trade and implies the same stance as the people he just countered. Additionally, the chapter on protest feels as though he is unsure on which side he is taking about the protests. He claims "police have no legitimate role to play in monitoring, much less actively subverting social movements not actively engaged in violence and property destruction" (p219). This statement implies that in cases where violence or property damage may be associated with a social movement, that policing and subversion is justified. Even in these cases, policing is not the solution, and often violence associated with protests is instigated by individuals or even the police themselves.
I felt that there were many points that were missing or glossed over - for example, it was never mentioned that the American criminal justice system can and does strip citizens of their right to vote, or really any mention of the intersectionality of these issues, except for a brief mention in the conclusion as a note about "one of the more positive aspects of the Black Lives Matter movement" (p226).
Vitale also maintained throughout the book that a solution exists and must exist within capitalism. Especially in the section on drug use and harm reduction, the author suggests the need for "developing human capital" (p154). While it is necessary to devise and implement transitional systems since capitalism will not resolve itself overnight, the lack of discussion on the connection between policing and maintenance of a capitalistic system was disappointing.
I did find the chapter on education and the school-to-prison pipeline interesting - I had not made the connection between policing and policing outcomes and the implementation of standardized testing and high-stakes grading. I would be fascinated to see future research into policing outcomes in educational institutions that participate in "ungrading" or use mastery-based learning over grade-based learning.
Throughout the book, I was surprised at how conservative some of the author's views were (or at least seemed to be). In the chapter on sex work, Vitale asks "do these approaches [alternatives to policing sex work] encourage sexual commerce by giving [sex work] the patina of legitimacy?" (p128) Shortly after discounting sex work abolitionists/prohibitionists who push these stances on a moralizing basis, the author uses the phrase "patina of legitimacy" about the trade and implies the same stance as the people he just countered. Additionally, the chapter on protest feels as though he is unsure on which side he is taking about the protests. He claims "police have no legitimate role to play in monitoring, much less actively subverting social movements not actively engaged in violence and property destruction" (p219). This statement implies that in cases where violence or property damage may be associated with a social movement, that policing and subversion is justified. Even in these cases, policing is not the solution, and often violence associated with protests is instigated by individuals or even the police themselves.
I felt that there were many points that were missing or glossed over - for example, it was never mentioned that the American criminal justice system can and does strip citizens of their right to vote, or really any mention of the intersectionality of these issues, except for a brief mention in the conclusion as a note about "one of the more positive aspects of the Black Lives Matter movement" (p226).
Vitale also maintained throughout the book that a solution exists and must exist within capitalism. Especially in the section on drug use and harm reduction, the author suggests the need for "developing human capital" (p154). While it is necessary to devise and implement transitional systems since capitalism will not resolve itself overnight, the lack of discussion on the connection between policing and maintenance of a capitalistic system was disappointing.
snail_cowboy's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I agree in most of everything. Police, anti terrorist organizations, and Border Patrol have produced nothing but violence,, division and animosity. Policing was built on the willingness to maintain the status quo and keep the powers that be at the helm.
I enjoy the way in which it was structured. The first section of each chapter gave a quick overview as welland closed with solutions. It is a beginner friendly book and if you know a good chunk of the history of policing and the US's responsibility in global politics then it's a great refresher.
Abolition is the future and we are not free until my brother is free.
yellowswagger's review against another edition
4.0
I hope to see a second edition of this book published that addresses the critical role that capitalism plays in this inherently violent and unnecessarily policed world. This book doesn't have all the answers, but it's a start.
alekz's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Really factual, straightforward, easy to understand. It covers a variety of topics, provides ample evidence & statistics and specific instances for each claim. I think it’s a very solid entry level reading for understanding the ways police reforms have been attempted and why they have failed and will continue to fail.
I think the author was a little too liberal with their conclusion, as they spent the entire book explaining why police reforms will always fail because of the inherent corruption of policing, but then ended by saying reform is possible if the circumstances are right (when they go on to explain they will never be right). It felt like an appeal to liberal readers rather than the author standing firm in a more leftist stance. I think overall the book is very valuable, especially as an entry level book for liberals who are pro police reform, as it does a very clear job of illustrating past reform attempts. I do wish the author ended on a more firm note.
Hand your local liberal the first chapter at minimum tho and I think they’ll understand things considerably more.
madscientistcat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.75
The End of Policing is an academic, leftist overview of the various roles of policing in America and how the police operations in these roles are fundamentally misaligned with the goals of public safety, prevention of crime, and justice. Vitale offers extensive notes, data, and research to explain and provide alternate methods of providing communities with safety and justice.
This was a challenging read for a number of reasons, but I cannot recommend it enough to those who wish to understand the history and role of police in American society and to consider the other options that could exist instead.
This was a challenging read for a number of reasons, but I cannot recommend it enough to those who wish to understand the history and role of police in American society and to consider the other options that could exist instead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation, Violence, Death, and Police brutality
Moderate: Sexual violence, Torture, and Xenophobia
Minor: Slavery