ABSTRACT
Convincing the American people that they should be panicked over crime has led to the most rapid increase in the number of police, prosecutors, and prison inmates in history. Crime in the ghetto is a self-fulfilling prophesy. Rips, warrants, and vehicular stops account for most of the confrontations between police and ghetto residents. The policing of the ghetto exemplifies the contradiction in the United States between the ideology of equal justice for all and the reality of the middle- and upper-classes' ability to protect themselves from being closely scrutinized by the police. The Rapid Deployment Units organizes its efforts at crime control around three distinct activities: the "rip," vehicular stops, and serving warrants. The variable severity of sentences for crimes involving different types of drugs is another manifestation of systematic racism in the criminal justice system. The crime control industry has meanwhile become one of the most powerful lobbies in the United States.
