Bibliography
Ewing, Maura. Philadelphia’s New Top Prosecutor is Rolling Out Wild, Unprecedented Criminal Justice Reforms. Slate Magazine, March 14, 2018. A concise, yet detailed account of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s rise and how he plans to reform many of the punitive elements of criminal justice in the city.
Mauer, Mark. Race to Incarcerate. New York: The New Press, 2006.
Perhaps the single best retelling of the history of “tough-on-crime” policies, the individuals who played major roles, the far-reaching implications and racial disparities that resulted. This book should be constantly referred to throughout the course of the unit, as it established the national model by which many states, Pennsylvania included, adopted.
Pfaff, John F. Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform. New York: Basic Books, 2017. Pfaff’s book elucidates many of the often-unconsidered minutiae that has contributed to mass incarceration. The chapter on the role of the prosecutor is particularly useful in helping students understand the level of discretion involved in criminal
procedure, plea bargaining and sentencing.
Walker Samuel, Popular Justice: A History of American Criminal Justice. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 1998. A great general history of criminal justice in America. Useful at the beginning of the unit as well as throughout for providing historical foundations.
Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia Website, Rutgers University, 2016, accessed July 14, 2018, philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/. I cite the whole website here because it’s one of the best resources for a general history of crime and policing in Philadelphia. Refer to this often as the unit proceeds.
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