A review by abrswf
Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America by James Forman Jr.

3.0

This is a well written and carefully researched book on an important topic but I had to force myself through it. I was there for the war on drugs myself and i can’t disagree more with Forman’s premise that African American judges, police and local representatives are to blame for “locking up our own.” I was a warrior myself and believed the same things these folks did, but the reality is that the war was launched, funded and directed by racism. The premise of this book makes about as much sense to me as blaming soldiers and citizens from a town devastated by war for the country leaders who launched and waged it. The true story of the war on drugs is told much more accurately and insightfully by Michelle Alexander in The New Jim Crow. Having said that, I did like the glimpses of Forman’s clients and students in the book, and applaud his admirable career as an opponent of the war.