Reinvention of Policing - by William R Kelly & Daniel P Mears (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Written in an accessible style, this book provides a historically grounded critique of American policing and offers implementable solutions, providing students a comprehensive understanding of modern policing. The Reinvention of Policing can be used in courses focused on policing policy and practice, specifically when discussing how policing may reflect and contribute to inequality and injustice, or how it might improve these social problems.

Review Quotes

Every so often a book on policing comes along that shakes the field of criminology to its core. By calling out the moral and system failures, marshaling the research evidence of the gains made, and charting a path for real reform and social justice, The Reinvention of Policing, by Kelly and Mears, is that book. It is what we need now. It is what we will need for the years ahead.

In The Reinvention of Policing, Kelly and Mears provide a highly critical but simultaneously constructive account of the crises in policing today. They situate their critique of modern policing in the broader context of a failing criminal justice system, provide a detailed account how we got here, and offer a clear and convincing path towards a model of policing that truly prioritizes public safety through crime prevention. Truly a remarkable accomplishment and a must read for all those who seek transformational reforms in policing.

Kelly and Mears bring their decades of experience studying the criminal justice system to the crucial question of how to improve modern policing. This book clearly and comprehensively identifies not just the challenges in how policing currently operates, but also bold, realistic solutions to change practice. Centering crime prevention and public safety in efforts to transform police work offers great promise for fairer and more effective policing in the future. This book should be read by students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in seriously engaging with what works (and what does not) in improving public safety and applying these ideas to concrete strategies to enhance twenty-first century policing.

The Reinvention of Policing fills a critical void in our knowledge of policing in the U.S. The book offers a comprehensive account of the failures of American policing, as well as a model for reforming traditional policing. The authors draw from historical events, federal policies and practices, and the latest policing research to illustrate what works and what doesn't in crime prevention and public safety. This is a must read for policy makers and justice officials striving for an effective and cost-efficient justice system.

About the Author

William R. Kelly is professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. Kelly is the author of and contributor to several books and articles on criminal justice, law, and policy, including Criminal Justice at the Crossroads (2015), Confronting Underground Justice (2018), and The Crisis in the American Courts (2021).
Daniel P. Mears is distinguished research professor in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. A fellow of the American Society of Criminology and recipient of the Bruce Smith Sr. award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Mears conducts research on crime and policy. His work appears in journal articles and books, including the award-winning American Criminal Justice Policy (2010) and Out-of-Control Criminal Justice (2017).