Geography of Punishment

Crime rates of previous decades continue to have a large impact on how the criminal justice system functions today.

Proactive policing strategies such as “drug-free zone” laws and “stop-and frisk” were implemented with the best of intentions, but critics say they are not working, and are in fact causing more hardship for the community and the state’s taxpayers – filling up prisons and infringing on civil rights.

So, are proactive policing strategies like working? And what can be done to repair the public’s trust in the system?

This episode of The System looks at how where you live can determine your interactions with the police.