David A. Sklansky is Stanley Morrison Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and faculty codirector of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center. A former assistant US attorney in Los Angeles, he is the author of A Pattern of Violence: How the Law Classifies Crimes and What It Means for Justice.
Timely and thoughtful, David Sklansky's new book is a much-needed meditation on what violence is and how the law should respond to it.--James Forman, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Locking Up Our Own This sharply argued and thoughtful book shows how the law simultaneously over-punishes some forms of violence while ignoring others--such as acts committed by law enforcement. Anyone interested in achieving real police reform or dismantling mass incarceration should read this book by one of our most insightful experts on crime and policing.--Rachel Barkow, author of Prisoners of Politics A Pattern of Violence is a must-read for anyone who wants to radically rethink our understanding of justice. In this singular book, David Sklansky takes us into courtrooms across America grappling with the problem of violent crimes. As importantly, he explains how we've come to understand violence itself--morally, ethically, and historically.--Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises: What We Don't Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us