Book Review: Fleisher, M.S. and Krienert, J.L. (2009). The Myth of Prison Rape: Sexual Culture in American Prisons Lanham, MD: Rowan and Littlefield Publishers, 2009. 224 pp. $27.95. ISBN 978-0-7425-6166-3 (paper); $75.00. ISBN 978-0-7425-6165-6 (cloth)

• Author: Richard Tewksbury
• Published date: 01 March 2010
• Date: 01 March 2010
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0734016809349185
• Subject Matter: Articles

basis on understanding the proper use of force. The chapter talks about controlling police use of

force, use of force training, and ends with the pervasiveness of police use of force. Chapter 3

(Research Preceding Strict Limitations) is a great review of the literature on the research of the use

of deadly force before Tennessee v. Garner (1985). McElvain transitions into the limitations and

difficulties surrounding lethal force research, while specifically examining various police policies

on the use of force. Tennessee v. Garner was a case in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that under

the Fourth Amendment (unreasonable searches and seizures), when a law enforcement officer is pur-

suing a fleeing suspect, they may use deadly force only to prevent escape if the officer has probable

cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the

officer or others around them.

Chapter 4 (Research Following Strict Limitations) focuses on research on the use of deadly force

post Tennessee v. Garner. McElvain examined homicide as it relates to police shootings and con-

cluded with race/ethnicity and the use of deadly force. In regard to race/ethnicity, McElvain and his

colleague at the University of California at Riverside, Augustine Kposowa, set out to focus on offi-

cer characteristics and the chance of using deadly force. In their analysis, they found that Caucasian

officers were more likely to engage in a police shooting than Latino officers. They further found that

college-educated officers and female officers were less likely to be involved in a shooting. McElvain

and Kposowa also found that older officers were less at risk than younger officers and officers with a

previous history of a shooting were 51%more likely to shoot during another incident than officers

without a history of shootings.

Chapter 5 is dedicated to one police department and its shootings, specifically referring to the

shootings involving the deputies of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Chapter 6 deals with

alcohol, drugs, violent crimes, and police shootings. Chapter 7 (Examination of Police Shootings) is

an overview and recapturing of police shootings presented at that point in the book. Chapter 8 is

dedicated to explaining police shootings. The final chapter of the book, chapter 9, ties everything

together and discusses further implications of police shootings and the use of force.

Police Shootings and Citizen Behavior by James P. McElvain is an outstanding, well-researched,

and thought-provoking study on an extremely controversial topic. What makes this book a must read

is the fact that Captain McElvain brings firsthand experience, along with data-driven research, from

the law enforcement perspective—a perspective that is rare to see for those outside the law enforce-

ment community. This book should be required reading for anyone in criminal justice, social work,

public health, mental health, and law enforcement who want an analytic and practical view from

someone who has been involved with police shootings and use of force issues out on the streets.

As a former law enforcement officer myself, I know firsthand the importance of coming home at

the end of your shift safely.

Fleisher, M.S. and Krienert, J.L. (2009).

The Myth of Prison Rape: Sexual Culture in American Prisons

Lanham, MD: Rowan and Littlefield Publishers, 2009. 224 pp. $27.95. ISBN 978-0-7425-6166-3 (paper);

$75.00. ISBN 978-0-7425-6165-6 (cloth).

Reviewed by: Richard Tewksbury, University of Louisville

DOI: 10.1177/0734016809349185

In this controversial book, Fleisher and Krienert provide readers with an understanding of the role of

prison rape, not as a statistically assessed event or necessarily real event but instead as a central com-

ponent of the culture of adult prisons. The Myth of Prison Rape is controversial, both for the

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