June 28, 2011 — Peter Moskos, associate professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York, discusses two troubled institutions at the heart of the American criminal justice system: police departments and prisons. Moskos served as a police officer in Baltimore, Maryland, an experience that resulted in the book, “Cop in the Hood: My Year Policing Baltimore’s Eastern District.” Moskos’ second book, “In Defense of Flogging” questions the effectiveness of mass incarceration (as a tool for rehabilitation, as a deterrent, or as a humane punishment), and poses the provocative question, “If you had the choice between five years in prison and ten brutal lashes, which would you choose?”
Note: The above dateline refers to this interview’s original airdate on WRCT-Pittsburgh. It was uploaded unchanged to Remapping Debate in April 2013.
