Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys (New Perspectives in Crime, Deviance, and Law)

Product Description

Honorable Mention, 2014 Eduardo Bonilla-Silva Outstanding Book Award presented by the Society for the Study of Social Problems

2012 Best Book Award, Latino/a Sociology Section, presented by the American Sociological Association

2012 Finalist, C. Wright Mills Book Award presented by the Study of Social Problems

A classic ethnography that reveals how urban police criminalize black and Latino boys

Victor Rios grew up in the ghetto of Oakland, California in the 1980s and 90s. A former gang member and juvenile delinquent, Rios managed to escape the bleak outcome of many of his friends and earned a PhD at Berkeley and returned to his hometown to study how inner city young Latino and African American boys develop their sense of self in the midst of crime and intense policing. Punished examines the difficult lives of these young men, who now face punitive policies in their schools, communities, and a world where they are constantly policed and stigmatized.

Rios followed a group of forty delinquent Black and Latino boys for three years. These boys found themselves in a vicious cycle, caught in a spiral of punishment and incarceration as they were harassed, profiled, watched, and disciplined at young ages, even before they had committed any crimes, eventually leading many of them to fulfill the destiny expected of them. But beyond a fatalistic account of these marginalized young men, Rios finds that the very system that criminalizes them and limits their opportunities, sparks resistance and a raised consciousness that motivates some to transform their lives and become productive citizens. Ultimately, he argues that by understanding the lives of the young men who are criminalized and pipelined through the criminal justice system, we can begin to develop empathic solutions which support these young men in their development and to eliminate the culture of punishment that has become an overbearing part of their everyday lives.

Top Reviews

Great book!
by Maria Ortega (5 out of 5 stars)
December 21, 2015

Wonderful book! Does an excellent job of digging deep into the lives of youth in Oakland and gives an amazing account of their daily struggles. Rios masterfully explains how the youth in Oakland (and the US more broadly) are increasingly surrounded with police-like institutions which severely damage their opportunities for success. I would definitely recommend the book for anyone who wants to have a better understanding of youth and what we might be able to do to alleviate the problems they face.
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Progressive and insightful publication!
by Ashley T. (5 out of 5 stars)
November 24, 2016

Rios offers a valuable collection of stories of the Black and Latino/a youth in the Oakland area. Punished is the story of his graduate work, shadowing students who were at high risk, criminalized and paroled. His dissection and illustration of the criminalization of colored and minority youth is well researched and very well written. This is an easy read and often hard to put down.
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I love this book :)
by Lennea Lopez (5 out of 5 stars)
March 19, 2019

Unlike many other books that I've been assigned in school, this book follows and illustrates personal narratives as author Victor Rios spends years shadowing young Black and Latino youth, allowing readers to understand the perspectives of another. Of course the idea of the Youth Control Complex will follow my train of thought everywhere I go from now on (part of being a sociology major) but overall this book really allows for the opportunity to gain a new perspective on the way in which institutions operate to collectively participate in this complex that controls youth.
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Enthralling & Clear
by Lynn (5 out of 5 stars)
August 8, 2018

Rios provides an intimate and thought provoking work. He is able to articulate the process of criminalization of young men of color BEFORE contact with the police or courts. Every parent, teacher, school administrator, and anyone working within the police or courts should read this. Most importantly, here's a writer who's letting the voices of Black and Latino males be heard. This is an excellent text for college classrooms
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Readable, Provocative, and Smart
by Deborah F. Lustig (5 out of 5 stars)
July 28, 2011

Based on three years of research with 40 Black and Latino boys in Oakland, California, Victor Rios provides just the right blend of the boys' personal stories, his own critical analysis (and perspective as a former gang member from this community), and social science theory. He illuminates the processes of punitive social control that are taking place nation-wide, but focuses on the specific political-economic context of Oakland. His central claim is that the "youth control complex" systematically criminalizes young people; police harassment, while pervasive, is only part of the youth control complex. Families, schools, businesses, community centers, and probation officers, even while they are trying to help young people, are integrated into a web of punishment. As I read, I was caught up in the stories of the young men and gained new insight into their daily lives and struggles. Rios doesn't romanticize their lives or excuse their bad behavior, but he does show how limited their options are and how their efforts to turn their lives around are often undermined by the same individuals and institutions that are telling them to change. He shows that seemingly self-destructive behavior makes sense once we understand that the teens are striving for dignity, even when they know it will result in a loss of freedom. While all of the boys understand the processes of criminalization that enmesh them, some of them become activists protesting police brutality and mass incarceration. Rios ends on a hopeful note, calling for a "youth support complex" to nurture the great potential of the young people in our society who currently face not only enormous odds against them but also a system that is actively pushing them into criminality.
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But young people also have agency and develop systems of interaction and resistance to cope with the
by A. Malek (5 out of 5 stars)
May 27, 2017

Short read but definitely something to be read! RIO's creates understanding & introduces so many concepts and factors that explain so much what these kids are up against. It's a shame society blames them instead of proactively helping in bencifical way to reduce bias the media, schools, lawn enforcement, & suburbanites believe about these young kids. It was all incredible, heart-breaking and uplifting to hear about the experiences these deal with daily
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Recommend
by Afaf (5 out of 5 stars)
November 9, 2019

If you care about the inequality between black and white... How black people really have hard time of how they feel! This book is very good to represent that
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Four Stars
by Katy (4 out of 5 stars)
November 28, 2017

Excellent material, repetitive writing style
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Great book! Gives a different perspective of punitive practices ...
by Carlene Carpenter (5 out of 5 stars)
December 11, 2016

Great book! Gives a different perspective of punitive practices towards our youth. These practices are not always implemented as a result of a behavior, on the contrary, many our youth in inner-city's are treated as criminals unwarrantedly. I used this book a great deal in a thesis paper for graduate school on the topic of punitive practices towards our youth--great resource!
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awesome
by Roxana Parada (5 out of 5 stars)
October 23, 2019

Great product

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