Policing Race and Place in Indian Country

This book seeks to address a significant void in the scholarship on policing Native American communities. It is the first book to explore Native Americans' perspectives on the ways in which Native American communities—especially those in and around reservations—are both over–and underpoliced in ways that perpetuate both the criminalization and the victimization of Native Americans as nations and as individuals. Drawing upon a series of interviews conducted with 278 Native Americans from seven states, Policing Race and Place in Indian Country uncovers patterns of hate crime against Native Americans as well as a general dissatisfaction with the nature of law enforcement in their communities. Participants reported activities ranging from willful blindness to Native American victimization at one extreme, to overt forms of police harassment and violence at the other. What emerges from these descriptions is the recognition that the patterns observed by the participants of the study are an extension of a lengthy history of systemic racism against Native Americans. Policing Race and Place in Indian Country is one of the first books to address the policing of Native American communities. While there are several studies that investigate the racialized nature and context of policing, most only refer to Native Americans in passing. By focusing solely on the Native American community, the book is appealing to scholars writing on race and policing or criminal justice.

[Perry] puts the impact of over- and under-policing in the perspective of the policing of other minority groups and Indigenous peoples in other countries; she discusses this issue within contemporary race theory, specifically the maintenance of boundaries of race. Perry also critiques solutions that have been tried and failed. She concludes that only increased Native American self-determination in operating their own justice systems has the potential to end the serious consequences of over and under-policing. This book should be read by all justice practitioners who work within Indian Country or who serve Indigenous clients. It will make you think twice about the unintended (and sometimes intended) consequences of 'business as usual' within American policing., The linkage of race and policing is often addressed in discussions of the issues facing minorities, but rarely is there an emphasis on American Indians. The fact that racism is inherent in the relationship between Indian Country and the American government is widely accepted. But this author uses empirical research techniques to prove the point. She examines the role of racism in the history of relations between the tribes and law enforcement through the use of survey responses and interviews. The reality of the racism faced by American Indians in regard to law enforcement comes alive, and challenges the reader to act to bring about change.

Barbara Perry is professor of criminology at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.