ABSTRACT
Much has been written by well-meaning sociologists, profound thinkers, criminologists, and independent observers about America’s criminal justice system as a mirror in which a whole society can see the darker outlines of its face (Reiman, 1995, p. 1). Today, what is seen in that mirror is a dark-lined face and a white pair of eyes frowning at African Americans, Hispanics, and other powerless groups. The striking image in the mirror is a face that has declared corrosive warfare on people of color, especially those caught up in our contemporary prison system.
