Book Review: Mirage of police reform: Procedural justice and police legitimacy

• Author: James F. Albrecht
• Published date: 01 September 2021
• Date: 01 September 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/1057567718811492
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

culture surrounding it is essential in understanding how people—particularly the middling classes—

viewed crime and justice during that period. Additionally, establishing the bona fides of the meth-

odological approach, while taking up a substantial portion of the book’s early chapters, is worth-

while reading for those interested in historical approaches to criminal justice studies.

One particular point of strength worth mentioning is the argument for the print media’s role in the

passage of the 1752 Murder Act and the implications this has for our understandings of the role that

the media played in passage of legislation regarding crime in general. Specific elements of coverage

regarding how punishment should be carried out made their way from the broader crime literature

directly to the punishments presented within the legislation of the period, tying the two closely

together—while also providing some outlet for the critiques of the harsh punishment suggested. The

picture that is painted, along with that in the final chapter, is complex, with both individuals and

groups having multiple perspectives on crime and punishment, much less monolithic than may be

commonly assumed. Similarly complex conclusions can be reached about 18th-century presenta-

tions of policing and prosecution, underlining both the importance of continued work in the area and

the significant achievement of the book in bringing such a wide lens to the subject matter.

The book does have some limitations, however. While the methodological discussions are

important, the consistent refrain regarding the difficulty of understanding contemporary readership,

at times, undermines Ward’s empirical findings. Additionally, while essential for a work of history,

the amount of time spent detailing specific sources was sometimes distracting toward the overall

argument Ward was formulating, particularly in the early chapters.

In terms of utility, the book can be considered in three ways. First, as a general scholarly text,

where it will be useful for media and crime scholars, as well as historians of criminal justice. It could

also be used in a set of primary texts within a graduate history of criminal justice course—where it

would work well with texts like Miller’s Cops and Bobbies. Finally, sections of the book would be

useful in a variety of contexts, one of which would be a graduate-level qualitative methods course,

which often overlook historical methods in their coverage.

Overall, the text is excellent, providing interesting historical coverage with important links to

modern questions in relation to the media, crime, and justice. The sweep of texts examined, along

with the helpful breakdown regarding parts of the justice system, makes the book engaging and

useful, and the criminal justice system–specific chapters (3–5) are particularly compelling. While

having minor shortcomings, the book is one that adds significantly to our understanding of not just

history but the present as well.

Worden, R. E., & McLean, S. J. (2017).

Mirage of police reform: Procedural justice and police legitimacy. Oakland, CA: University of California Press. 254 pp.

$34.95, ISBN 13: 978-0520292413.

Reviewed by: James F. Albrecht, Pace University, New York, NY, USA

DOI: 10.1177/1057567718811492

Clearly the concept of police legitimacy is a contemporary and critical issue within the United States

and even globally. As such, Robert E. Worden and Sarah J. McLean have now published an

enlightening book, Mirage of Police Reform: Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy, which

summarizes their related research examining two American communities and their respective police

agencies, the Schenectady and Syracuse Police Departments within the State of New York.

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