In The Dark Side of Reform: Exploring the Impact of Public Policy on Racial Equity, Professors Connor and Penn make a critically important contribution.The pandemic and the growing awareness that the criminal legal system and policing need to be completely reimagined have caused the nation to ask critical questions about reform. Connor and Penn have responded, moving the conversations on race and equity from the margins to the center of the domestic policy debate. The data and varied analyses in this book provide timely information to anyone concerned about public policy in America.

Anthony C. Thompson, New York University

Penn and Connor brilliantly curate a timely and comprehensive look at the ways public policies, while having the potential to produce equity, often reproduce inequality as result of a lack of intentionality in addressing the unique dynamics at the intersections of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. This collection sheds light on the connections from the historical to the contemporary with policies ranging from gun control to education reform. And as whole, the collection serves as an essential guide to critically analyze and develop public policy.

Daren Graves, Simmons University

Editors Connor and Penn set the stage for this collection in the introduction, promising examinations of diverse social conditions through a racial equity lens. The chapters that follow deliver on this promise. Topics covered include gun violence, policing, surveillance, marijuana legalization, health inequities, hate crimes, immigration, voting rights, and education. Even as the book addresses varied issues, each author maintains a focus on the policy criterion of racial equity in their own way. The problem analyses provide a window into how conceptualizing a condition influences its perception and potential policy alternatives. Ultimately, this is a worthwhile volume for students new to public policy, policy analysts, and policy makers as they consider the merits of different approaches to policy analysis and the authors' proposals. This book is recommended for undergraduates and professionals.

Choice Reviews