Boston Review | DJ Chacón/Sante Fe New Mexican
For anyone seeking to stem state violence and mitigate the brutalities and injustices of the existing order, understanding how the criminal legal system and immigration enforcement have been braided together is essential. So is understanding the central but often overlooked role of sheriffs’ departments and the political economy of rural areas as bulwarks of the carceral and deportation state. Several recent books paint a stark portrait of the uniquely expansive regime of U.S. policing and punishment, revealing what conventional wisdom gets wrong about its origins and scale and clarifying the obstacles to changing it. Above: Outside New Mexico’s Torrance County Detention Facility in March 2025.