The Myth of Mob Rule: Violent Crime and Democratic Politics. Lisa L. Miller. New York: Oxford University Press (2016). 272pp. £26.49hb ISBN 9780190228705
Journal
The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice
ISBN
ISBN 9780190228705
Type
monograph
Date Issued
2018-03-06
Author(s)
Abstract
The threat of the tyrannical mob looms large in the liberal imagination. Whether we go back to 19th Century writings on democracy or current debates on punishment, political thinkers from Alexis de Tocqueville to criminal justice scholars today have warned of the dangers of an authoritarian and punitive mob. Yet, what happens if we take this mob seriously on its own terms? In TheMyth of Mob Rule, Lisa L. Miller has addressed precisely this question. Her argument turns the liberal narrative of an irrational and retributive public on its head. The book argues that when punitive demands for 'law and order' become salient as political and public issues, then this tends to follow periods of high victimisation and crime. People's perceptions of crime are more closely linked to reality than frequently assumed. And when politicians listen to the people, crime not only directs attention to security as an essential public good, but to a range of other policy interventions that address the root causes of crime. The Myth of Mob Rule is based on a comparison of three case studies: the US, the UK and the Netherlands. Each of these countries has experienced a substantial increase in violent crime over the past 50 years, though each represents a very different set of institutional forms with implications for citizens' ability to participate in democratic processes: a fragmented federal system in the US; a Westminster-style system in the UK; and proportional representation in the Netherlands. It is through this comparison that we encounter the book's central claim: the US system is characterised by a system of racialised state failure produced by democratic deficits rather than an excess of political accountability. The term 'state failure' refers to the high levels of double exposure to violence (from fellow citizens and from the state) that is an extreme outlier among democracies). This state failure is racialised because it disproportionately disadvantages 'the most needy across racial groups, as well as underscores the deliberate use of these institutions to deny the securities of the modern state to African Americans'(p.100). By introducing the case of American exceptionalism, the book offers a powerful reminder of US democracy's failures to extend its claims to protection to some of its most marginalised citizens. It extends existing commentary on the racialised nature of American criminal justice by shedding light on citizens' lived realities of actual victimisation and crime. But there is also a tension at the heart of the book that goes somewhat unexplored: despite Miller's plea for more direct democratic participation, we learn comparatively little about how citizens think of, and conceptualise, state failure on their own terms. As a consequence, we do not learn much about what kinds of policing citizens consider appropriate or desirable and how everyday experiences of policing sit alongside other 124
Language
English
Keywords
Myth of Mob Rule
Violent crime and democratic politics
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
No
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
57
Number
1
Subject(s)
Division(s)
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
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Howard J Crime Justice - 2018 - Koch - The Myth of Mob Rule Violent Crime and Democratic Politics Lisa L Miller New.pdf
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120.42 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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