Hunting for "Dirtbags": Why Cops Over-Police the Poor and Racial Minorities

by Ryan Patten and Lori Beth Way

This ethnographic study, which includes participant observation research and in-depth interviews with police officers in a major California city and a large East Coast city, explores how police officers use their discretionary time on the job--and the consequences. Providing highly textured insights into police discretion, the authors show that America's "tough on crime" approach to justice has too often proved to be a smoke screen for controlling...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1555538126
• ISBN13: 9781555538125
• Release Date: July 2013
• Publisher: Northeastern University Press
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.7"