Book Review: Michael J. Lynch, E. Britt Patterson, and Kristina K. Childs Racial Divide: Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Criminal Justice System. Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press, 2008. $37.00. 301 pp. ISBN: 978-1-881798-86-6

• Date: 01 June 2010
• Published date: 01 June 2010
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016809356309
• Author: Robert J. Durán
• Subject Matter: Articles

indicate to policy makers the importance of screening prisoners while confined and provide

suggestions for supervising prisoners. Recommendations for future research are also presented.

Tartaro and Lester have addressed a complex issue but a critical concern for correctional person-

nel and the criminal justice community. Their comparisons of custodial suicides in prisons, jails, and

police lockups provide a thorough investigation of the subject underscored by the research of the

literature for more than 40 years. The book is recommended for corrections administrators, correc-

tional officers, and training personnel. Academic professors and students will also benefit from the

text. Professors and researchers should also consider the author’s research recommendations

suggested in the last chapter.

Michael J. Lynch, E. Britt Patterson, and Kristina K. Childs

Racial Divide: Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Criminal Justice System. Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press, 2008.

$37.00. 301 pp.

ISBN: 978-1-881798-86-6

Reviewed by: Robert J. Dura

´n, Department of Criminal Justice, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA

DOI: 10.1177/0734016809356309

This edited book explores themes of racial and ethnic inequality in the criminal justice system.

Scholars from the University of South Florida represent the greatest proportion of contributors.

Michael J. Lynch, of critical criminology fame, is the lead editor and is joined by E. Britt Patterson

and Kristina K. Childs. The majority of the chapters provide a literature review of theories and

research findings of several components of the criminal justice system including police, courts, and

corrections. The later chapters cover additional themes such as shopping, forensics, and environ-

mental crime. Each contributor provides an objective overview of the data and includes a significant

number of empirical sources arguing both on behalf of and against racial bias being institutionalized

in the criminal justice system.

At a time when a greater number of college courses are focusing upon racial and ethnic inequality

in the criminal justice system, this book adds a supplemental overview. Two recent edited books that

have been beneficial for classes of race, crime, and justice including The Many Colors of Crime edi-

ted by Peterson, Krivo, and Hagan and Images of Color, Images of Crime: Readings edited by Mann,

Zatz, and Rodriguez. Racial Divide offers another angle by including authors, topics, and themes not

presented in the other two edited books.

Several chapters in Racial Divide caught my interest. For the purpose of this review, two studies

will receive my attention, because they pushed the discussion beyond traditional explanations of

racial inequality. Gabbidon and Higgins wrote a thought-provoking chapter titled ‘‘Profiling White

Americans: A Research Note on ‘Shopping While White.’’’ The research was exploratory in that it

appeared to be a quick, yet busy, 14-day phone survey obtaining interviews with 500 residents in

Philadelphia, and achieving a 40%completion rate. The article was appealing because it moved the

discussion of profiling beyond law enforcement decision making to focus on how White customers

felt mistreated due to departmental store employee perceptions of customer misconduct. Surpris-

ingly one fifth of the sample felt profiled, but the negative encounter did not have tremendous emo-

tional impact. The authors emphasize how forms of White privilege may provide a buffer from

internalizing second-class treatment. These findings add complexity to other studies of racial and

ethnic mistreatment outside of the criminal justice system to compare and contrast differential

experiences. Many scholars of color have chosen to study their own racial and ethnic groups in

an attempt to provide a buffer between stereotypes regularly presented by the media and criminal

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