Elliott Currie Knihy

Argues that a policy of mass incarceration is ineffective and that prison expenditures could have greater impact on criminal violence if spent on prevention and rehabilitation programs.

From a Pulitzer Prize finalist, this work offers a profound examination of racial disparities in violent death and injury in America, presenting a blueprint for addressing this social injustice. A young black man in the U.S. faces a sixteenfold greater risk of dying from violence compared to his white peers, with violence claiming more years of life from black men than cancer, stroke, and diabetes combined. Black women also experience higher rates of violence than white men, highlighting stark differences in life and death experiences between racial groups. Despite occasional media coverage of police shootings, the pervasive issue of "everyday" violence in black communities receives insufficient attention and has largely faded from public policy discussions. Acclaimed criminologist Elliott Currie emphasizes that both police violence and everyday violence stem from the marginalization and structural disadvantages faced by many black communities. Our reluctance to confront these underlying conditions perpetuates preventable trauma and suffering unmatched in the developed world. Drawing on a wealth of research, this compelling narrative outlines the dimensions and consequences of this ongoing crisis, explores its root causes, and issues an urgent call for the social action necessary to bring about change.