Book Review: Presumed dangerous: Punishment, responsibility, and preventive detention in American Jurisprudence

• Date: 01 September 2014
• Published date: 01 September 2014
• Author: James R. Acker
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016814534684
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

In Chapter 3, Holloway’s narrative traces a movement in southern states during the 1870s and

1880s to disfranchise for petty crimes as a way to further restrict African American voting. During

this time period, there was a clash between federal and state laws, as the federal government

attempted to limit disfranchisement to felonies and those crimes that result in incarceration. This

chapter nicely weaves together the interplay of politics, law, and the courts, as different states start

upgrading certain crimes, those associated with African Americans, to felony status. Holloway

does an excellent job of bringing together historical evidence, such as narratives from lived e xperi-

ences, that captures the political maneuvering to disfranchise in order to gain partisan advantage.

Chapter 4 continues the task of expanding prior research by illustrating broader regional and

national patterns of disfranchisement in the late 19th and early 20th century. Holloway analyzes

numerous states constitutional and statutory changes, for example, Mississippi, South Carolina, and

Kentucky, and the types of crim es that would resul t in disfranchis ement. This anal ysis not only

highlights the role of racial stereotypes, but moreover the growing emphasis on class. Holloway

also continues to highlight the evolving concept of infamy: From being infamous due to one’s race

to being infamous due to one’s social class and incarceration status (p. 104).

Chapters 5 and 6 address restoration of citizenship rights and the obstacles to regaining suffrage.

Using records of restoration of citizenship rights that span eight states, Chapter 5 focuses on the

restoration process and how the laws transformed as individuals applied for pardons. The historical

documents provide a window int o the types of individuals who wer e applying for pardons and their

application outcomes. Chapter 6 discusses the role of the courts in restoring citizenship rights

during 1914–1916, especially at a time of extremely limited resources for African Americans. The

Conclusion then returns to the role of infamyin felony disfranchisement, the role the South played

in the institutionalization of felony disfranchisement, and how these events have shaped the

meaning of citizenship historically and contemporarily, especially for African Americans and

convicted felons.

Overall, Pippa Holloway’s research provides a well-rounded historical analysis of infamy, felony

disfranchisement, and the social construction of citizenship. It is well written, easily approachable,

and understandable. I would highly recommend this book, either for personal reading or for courses

in sociology, criminology, and public policy. It provides a rich account of felony disfranchisement,

supple with historical documents and historical narratives. I know I will return to this book and read

it again.

Corrado, M. L. (2013).

Presumed dangerous: Punishment, responsibility, and preventive detention in American Jurisprudence. Durham:

Carolina Academic Press, xvi, 131 pp., $22.00, ISBN 978-1-61163-445-7.

Reviewed by: James R. Acker, School of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, Albany, NY, USA

DOI: 10.1177/0734016814534684

College students have a knack for identifying classes that they can safely forgo attending as long as

they complete the assigned readings. The students who choose to attend such classes, conversely,

may well conclude that they can dispense with doing the readings because their lecture notes are

adequate preparation for exams. Presumed Dangerous: Punishment, Responsibility, and Preventive

DetentioninAmericanJurisprudencehas analogous qualities. People already familiar with the

Book Reviews 347