Democracy and the Police

In order to understand debates concerning policing in a democratic state, Sklansky (law, U. of California at Berkeley) avers that it is necessary to examine shifting theories of democracy over time for their influence on regulating the police. He thus examines the theories of pluralist, participatory, and deliberative democracy and their distinctive understandings of the role of policing and its dangers as they manifested in criminal procedure jurisprudence and scholarship. He then presents his own account of democracy, borrowing from both pluralist and participatory models, and considers its implications for a more rounded view of democratic policing. He also examines such controversial issues as the growth of private policing, racial profiling, and forms of democratic control within police departments. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)