Academic Publications
The Color of Crime (Third Edition, 2021)
New York University Press
When The Color of Crime was first published in 1998, it was heralded as a path-breaking book on race and crime. Now, in its third edition, Katheryn Russell-Brown’s book is more relevant than ever, as police killings of unarmed Black civilians—such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Daniel Prude—continue to make headlines around the world. She continues to ask, why do Black and white Americans perceive police actions so differently? Is white fear of Black crime justified?
With three new chapters, over forty new racial hoax cases, and other timely updates, this edition offers an even more expansive view of crime and punishment in the twenty-first century. Russell-Brown gives us much-needed insight into some of the most recent racial hoaxes, such as the one perpetrated by Amy Cooper. Should perpetrators of racial hoaxes be charged with a felony? Further, Russell-Brown makes a compelling case for race and crime literacy and the need to address and name White crime. Russell-Brown powerfully concludes the book with a parable that invites readers to imagine what would happen if Blacks decided to abandon the United States.
Russell-Brown explores the tacit and subtle ways that crime is systematically linked to people of color. The Color of Crime is a lucid and forceful volume that calls for continued vigilance on the part of scholars, policymakers, journalists, and others in the age of Black Lives Matter.
A Way Forward: UF Race Scholars on Support, Obstacles, and the Need for Institutional Engagement (2021)
University of Florida, Levin College of Law
This research project was designed to identify strategies and steps the University of Florida (UF) can take to more effectively support faculty whose work focuses on race or anti-racism. These steps can considerably strengthen UF’s foundations for scholarship on race, an imperative for a top-five public university that is also the state’s flagship academic institution. This report is based on interviews with and survey responses from UF faculty members whose scholarship focuses on issues of race or anti-racism. The 39 faculty members who participated in the study represent a broad range of disciplines and colleges, spanning arts, humanities, social sciences, and STEM. Their responses draw on a wide range of experiences that represent the complexities of a large institution. After identifying and highlighting the concerns, perceptions, and thematic suggestions raised by UF race scholars, the researchers identify 23 recommendations for UF race scholars and campus administrators. This study received funding from the UF Grant, “Advancing Racial Justice through Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access at the University of Florida,” established by the Office of UF Research and the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer.
Criminal Law (2015)
Co-authored with Angela J. Davis
Sage Publications
Criminal Law provides students with an integrated framework for understanding the U.S. criminal justice system with a diverse and inclusive interdisciplinary approach and thematic focus. Authors Katheryn Russell-Brown and Angela J. Davis go beyond the law and decisions in court cases to consider and integrate issues of race, gender, and socio-economic status with their discussion of criminal law. Material from the social sciences is incorporated to highlight the intersection between criminal law and key social issues. Case excerpts and detailed case summaries, used to highlight important principles of criminal law, are featured throughout the text. The coverage is conceptual and practical, showing students how the criminal law applies in the “real world”―not just within the pages of a textbook.
Protecting Our Own: Race, Crime, and African Americans (2006)
Rowman and Littlefield
Inspired by the O.J. Simpson case, Protecting Our Own explores the reasons behind the rise of the “black protectionism” phenomenon and its implications for the future. Comparing the plight of the African American community to the melancholy lyrics but vibrant beat of the blues, Russell-Brown uses the lyrics of these songs to paint a vivid picture of the African American community struggling through the burdens of racial oppression such as second tier status and lynchings solely due to the color of their skins. Russell-Brown explains the feelings of protectionism towards African American celebrities, as many African Americans feel that they have to “protect their own” because no one else will. Many African Americans, Russell-Brown argues, feel that African American are still under siege and that the few lucky African Americans who find a way into the spotlight deserve a break. However, with more and more African Americans in the spotlight, this practice has new consequences.
Protecting Our Own considers these issues in detail. The book sets out to accomplish three goals: to define Black protectionism, to explain how it works and how it can be reformulated to work in the best interests of the African American community. The book uses cases such as the infamous O.J. Simpson case to illustrate and explain the motivations behind black protectionism, even if the defendant is accused of grievous moral and ethical wrongdoing. Russell-Brown criticizes the use of black protectionism as a knee jerk reaction and expresses the need to hold African American celebrities accountable for their misdeeds. She suggests a selective approach to black protectionism that will benefit the African American community at large rather than just a lucky few. This book praises black protectionism at its best―a fight that will ensure racial justice in the future.
Winner of a 2005 Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award (Honorable Mention)
Underground Codes: Race, Crime and Related Fires (2004)
New York University Press
Americans fear crime, are rattled by race and avoid honest discussions of both. Anxiety, denial, miscommunication, and ignorance abound. Imaginary connections between minorities and crime become real, self-fulfilling prophecies and authentic links to race, class, gender and crime go unexplored. Katheryn Russell-Brown, author of the highly acclaimed The Color of Crime, makes her way through this intellectual minefield, determined to shed light on the most persistent and perplexing domestic policy issues.
The author tackles a range of race and crime issues. From outdated research methods that perpetuate stereotypes about African Americans, women, and crime to the over hyped discourse about gangsta rap and law breaking, Russell-Brown challenges the conventional wisdom of criminology. Underground Codes delves into understudied topics such as victimization rates for Native Americans—among the highest of any racial group—and how racial profiling affects the day-to-day lives of people of color.
Innovative, well-researched and meticulously documented, Underground Codes makes a case for greater public involvement in the debate over law enforcement—and our own language—that must be heard if we are to begin to have a productive national conversation about crime and race.
Petit Apartheid in the U.S. Criminal Justice System: The Dark Figure of Racism (2001)
Co-edited with Dragan Milovanavic
Carolina Academic Press
Petit apartheid refers to the hidden, informal types of racial bias that permeate various stages of the criminal justice system. Notably, these informal practices are not included in most evaluations of racial discrimination. This book offers the first detailed consideration of petit apartheid through a series of essays by criminal justice experts.
Petit Apartheid in the U.S. Criminal Justice System brings long-overdue attention to the reality of how race affects criminal justice processing. This volume makes a strong case that further research, new policy, and ultimately new practices are needed to stem the tide of racial bias in the criminal justice system.
“[The authors’] meticulous detailing of what petit apartheid looks like in action and what it sounds like in everyday exchanges promotes awareness — a mandatory starting place for changing habits or minds.” — American Journal of Criminal Law, 2002