The high rates of Black arrests and incarceration from 1960-1990 were a direct result of deliberate government policies and a zealous criminal justice system, under the patriotic umbrella of the War on Crime. This stateside war shared a lot of similarities with the Vietnam war happening simultaneously: racism and extreme cruelty towards those seen as the enemy, deprecation of the others' culture, forceful use of a militarized police with combat experience, repeated failure to observe human rights, and mass incarceration. Unfortunately, this conflict continued long after the Vietnam war ended. Ronald L. Morris reviews those dark times, analyzing their causes, short- and long-term effects, and calls for change.

Ronald L. Morris is adjunct professor of criminal justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Introduction: Rules of Engagement

Chapter 1: Ministries of Terror

Chapter 2: Black People Under the Gun

Chapter 3: Just for That, Im Gonna Smash Your Face In

Chapter 4: Criminal Court Judges Have a God Complex

Chapter 5: No Convicts Story Ends Happily

Chapter 6: Snoops& Snitches

Chapter 7: Ivory Towers Are White for a Reason

Chapter 8: Results of a Harlem Survey (on the Criminal Justice System)