The Power of the Badge : Sheriffs and Inequality in the United States

More than 3,000 sheriffs across the United States occupy a unique position in American politics, in offices with exceptional authority, enormous autonomy, and low visibility as elected law enforcement officials. Drawing on two surveys of sheriffs nearly a decade apart, election data, case studies, and law enforcement administrative data, we suggest that the design of the office - and the individuals who serve in it - challenge central tenets of democracy and equality under the law. In The Power of the Badge, Emily M. Farris and Mirya R. Holman argue that the autonomy and authority granted to sheriffs in the United States creates an environment where sheriffs rarely change, elections do not create meaningful accountability, employees, budgets, and jails can be used for political gains, marginalized populations can be punished, right-wing extremism flourishes, and reforms fail--

• | Author: Emily M. Farris, Mirya R. Holman
• | Publisher: NA
• | Publication Date: Sep 05, 2024
• | Number of Pages: NA pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Hardcover
• | ISBN-10: 0226834492
• | ISBN-13: 9780226834498