{"product_id":"the-power-of-the-badge-sheriffs-and-inequality-in-the-united-states-9780226834511","title":"The Power of the Badge: Sheriffs and Inequality in the United States","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA sobering exploration of the near unchecked power of sheriffs in the United States.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Across the United States, more than 3,000 sheriffs occupy a unique position in the US political and legal systems. Elected by voters--usually in low-visibility, noncompetitive elections--sheriffs oversee more than a third of law enforcement employees and control almost all local jails. They have the power to both set and administer policies, and they can imprison, harm, and even kill members of their communities. Yet, they enjoy a degree of autonomy not seen by other political officeholders. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Power of the Badge \u003c\/i\u003eoffers an unprecedented, data-rich look into the politics of the office and its effects on local communities. Emily M. Farris and Mirya R. Holman draw on two surveys of sheriffs taken nearly a decade apart, as well as election data, case studies, and administrative data to show how a volatile combination of authority and autonomy has created an environment where sheriffs rarely change; elections seldom create meaningful accountability; employees, budgets, and jails can be used for political gains; marginalized populations can be punished; and reforms fail. Farris and Holman also track the increasingly close linkages between sheriffs and right-wing radical groups in an era of high partisanship and intra-federal conflict. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEmily M. Farris \u003c\/b\u003eis associate professor of political science and core faculty of comparative race and ethnic studies at Texas Christian University. She has been quoted or appeared in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVox\u003c\/i\u003e, the\u003ci\u003e Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eAtlantic\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cb\u003e Mirya R. Holman \u003c\/b\u003eis associate professor at the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eWomen in Politics in the American City \u003c\/i\u003eand coeditor of \u003ci\u003eGood Reasons to Run. \u003c\/i\u003eHer work has been discussed in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eAtlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eNPR\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Chicago Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50893357121810,"sku":"9780226834511","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_7d402f70-c101-4cb3-9f4e-9f87d337f3ee.jpg?v=1744279755","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-power-of-the-badge-sheriffs-and-inequality-in-the-united-states-9780226834511","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}