Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable Vocabulary Flashcards

This flashcard set covers the key sociological, criminological, and legal vocabulary explored in Marc Lamont Hill's analysis of the systemic marginalization of vulnerable populations in the United States.

Nobody

A status in twenty-first-century America defined by vulnerability, subjection to State violence, abandonment by the government, and being considered disposable.

Value gap

A term by Princeton scholar Eddie Glaude referring to the foundational American belief that White lives are worth more than others.

Intersectionality

A lens of analysis, pioneered by Kimberle Crenshaw, that examines the ways multiple forms of oppression like race, gender, and class operate simultaneously against the vulnerable.

Restrictive racial covenants

Private contractual obligations between parties requiring that a piece of real estate be sold only to White buyers in perpetuity to maintain neighborhood segregation.

White flight

e movement of White families and necessary resources out of cities and into suburbs, largely animating the decline of urban America in the second half of the twentieth century.

Post-intentional racism

A concept by Imani Perry stating that racism cannot be reduced to intentional acts of bigotry, requiring an analysis of structural, psychological, and cultural dimensions.

Broken windows theory

A law-enforcement strategy proposed by Wilson and Kelling suggesting that tolerance for small-scale 'nuisance' crimes leads to an atmosphere that encourages larger crimes.

Collective efficacy

e amount of social cohesion and willingness to act for the common social good that exists within a community.

CompStat

A computer analysis method used by police departments to target resources to high-crime areas based on data.

Mens rea

A Latin legal term meaning 'criminal mind,' referring to the long-held requirement of criminal intent in the American justice system.

Plea bargain

A guilty plea induced by promises of favor, accounting for roughly 97 percent of federal cases and 94 percent of state cases in the modern US system.

Fact bargaining

A process where a prosecutor and defendant agree to a version of events that corresponds to sentencing guidelines rather than uncovering the actual truth.

Mandatory minimum sentencing

Statutorily defined sentences that require individuals to serve a fixed minimum term, largely stripping judges of their discretion in punishment.

Castle doctrine

An English common-law principle that stiles a man's house as his fortress, allowing the use of force against an intruder without a duty to retreat.

True man doctrine

A legal belief that a man who is without fault is not obliged to fly from an assailant and may stand his ground to protect his life.

Stand Your Ground

Statutes that remove the 'duty to retreat' and carry a presumption that a person using deadly force has the required level of fear to be acting in self-defense.

Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)

Paramilitary assault units within police forces originally designed for reactive restoration of order but now used roughly 50,000 times a year.

Exclusionary rule

A constitutional provision that prevents evidence gathered through illegal police conduct from being used in court.

Fruit of the poisonous tree

A legal metaphor used to identify evidence that is tainted due to Fourth Amendment violations and is thus inadmissible.

Prison-industrial complex

e overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social, and political problems.

Superpredator

A term coined by John DiIulio Jr. in 1995 to describe radically impulsive and remorseless youth who were predicted to flood the nation's streets.

Rockefeller Drug Laws

1973 New York statutes that mandated harsh minimum sentences for drug users and dealers, influencing 'tough on crime' policies nationwide.

Indeterminate sentences

Sentences offering a range of years (e.g., 'one to five years') intended to provide impetus for rehabilitation and earlier release based on good behavior.

Emergency manager

An official appointed by a governor, such as in Michigan, with total power to sell municipal assets and break union contracts to resolve financial deficits.

Food deserts

Needy urban or rural areas that lack access to affordable, high-quality, or fresh foods, leading to food insecurity.

Neoliberalism

An economic and social moment characterized by free-market fundamentalism, privatization of public services, and the satisfaction of the self over the community.

POPS

An acronym for 'privately owned public space,' referring to real estate deals where developers provide community space in exchange for zoning concessions.

Social capital

e value derived from social networks, shared public values, and social organizations, which Robert Putnam argued is essential for democracy.