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''''' Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer ''''' is a book by [[Kamala Harris]] with Joan O'C. Hamilton, first published by [[Chronicle Books]] on October 7, 2009.<ref name="Amazon">{{cite book|title=Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer |isbn=978-0811865289 |last1=Harris |first1=Kamala |date=7 October 2009 |publisher=Chronicle Books }}</ref>
''''' Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer '''''is a book by [[Kamala Harris]] with Joan O'C. Hamilton, first published by [[Chronicle Books]] on October 7, 2009.<ref name="Amazon">{{cite book|title=Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer |isbn=978-0811865289 |last1=Harris |first1=Kamala |date=7 October 2009 |publisher=Chronicle Books }}</ref>

In October 2024 it was pointed out that portions were plagiarized from other sources, including Wikipedia.<ref> https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/us/christopher-rufo-kamala-harris-book.html</ref>


==Contents==
==Contents==
First published as Harris (then the [[San Francisco District Attorney's Office|San Francisco district attorney]]) was beginning her [[2010 California Attorney General election|2010 campaign]] for [[California Attorney General]], the book outlines her vision of how the criminal justice system should function. She explains in detail why it is not enough to simply be [[tough on crime]], and how prosecutors and lawmakers must also be smart and [[Criminal justice reform|reform-minded]] in their approach.<ref name="Buzzfeed">{{cite news|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mollyhensleyclancy/kamala-harris-smart-on-crime-book|title=The Complicated Politics Of Kamala Harris's First Book|work=[[Buzzfeed News]]|first=Molly|last=Hensley-Clancy|date=August 20, 2018|accessdate=August 21, 2020}}</ref> She argues such changes would increase public safety, reduce costs, and strengthen communities.<ref name="Amazon"/> Most of the writing has been proven to be plagiarized from this very website
First published as Harris (then the [[San Francisco District Attorney's Office|San Francisco district attorney]]) was beginning her [[2010 California Attorney General election|2010 campaign]] for [[California Attorney General]], the book outlines her vision of how the criminal justice system should function. She explains in detail why in her view, it is not enough to simply be [[tough on crime]], and how prosecutors and lawmakers must also be smart and [[Criminal justice reform|reform-minded]] in their approach.<ref name="Buzzfeed">{{cite news|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/mollyhensleyclancy/kamala-harris-smart-on-crime-book|title=The Complicated Politics Of Kamala Harris's First Book|work=[[Buzzfeed News]]|first=Molly|last=Hensley-Clancy|date=August 20, 2018|accessdate=August 21, 2020}}</ref> She argues such changes would increase public safety, reduce costs, and strengthen communities.<ref name="Amazon"/>


==Reception==
==Reception==
⚫
[[Children's Defense Fund]] president [[Marian Wright Edelman]] praised the book saying:<blockquote>Harris speaks from experience to debunk myths and offer real solutions to many of the problems with [our] current criminal justice system. Her suggestions have the potential to change and save lives.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.joanochamilton.com/publications|title=Publications|work=Joan O'C Hamilton|accessdate=August 21, 2020}}</ref></blockquote>Some critics have observed that Harris did not pay enough attention to race, instead attributing the problem of disparities in the system to class,<ref name="Buzzfeed" /> and mentioning [[racial profiling]] from [[law enforcement]] only twice.<ref name="Vox">{{cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/1/23/18184192/kamala-harris-president-campaign-criminal-justice-record|title=Kamala Harris's controversial record on criminal justice, explained|work=Vox|first=German|last=Lopez|date=August 12, 2020|accessdate=August 21, 2020}}</ref> In one passage, she dispels the notion that communities of color are inherently hostile towards the police saying:<blockquote>There is a widely held notion that poor communities, particularly poor African-American and Latino communities, consider law enforcement the enemy and that they do not want police officers in their neighborhoods. In fact, the opposite is true. Both my experience and scientific surveys reflect this fact again and again. I can state categorically that economically poor people want and support law enforcement.<ref name="Buzzfeed" /></blockquote>In response, Harris has stated that she is aware of the racial biases in criminal justice and policing, citing her decision to become a prosecutor as an extension of the work her parents did during the [[civil rights movement]].<ref name="Buzzfeed"/> Those same critics have also noted that since being elected to the [[2016 United States Senate election in California|U.S. Senate in 2016]], Harris has become more assertive on issues such as [[prison reform]], [[racial equality]], and [[Police reform in the United States|scrutinizing police practices]].<ref name="Buzzfeed"/><ref name="Vox"/>
[[Children's Defense Fund]] president [[Marian Wright Edelman]] praised the book saying "Harris speaks from experience to debunk myths and offer real solutions to many of the problems with [our] current criminal justice system. Her suggestions have the potential to change and save lives."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.joanochamilton.com/publications|title=Publications|work=Joan O'C Hamilton|accessdate=August 21, 2020}}</ref>

=== Plagiarism ===
In October 2024, an investigative report by Austrian plagiarism hunter [[Stefan Weber (media researcher)|Stefan Weber]] alleged that Harris may have [[Plagiarism|plagiarized]] extensive portions of the book from Wikipedia and many other sources.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 14, 2024 |title=Conservative Activist Seizes on Passages From Harris Book |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/14/politics/kamala-harris-plagiarism-allegation/index.html |website=CNN}}</ref><ref name="Newsweek">{{cite news|url=https://www.newsweek.com/kamala-harris-plagiarism-claim-smart-crime-1968831|title=Kamala Harris 'Smart on Crime' Plagiarism Claims: Everything We Know|work=[[Newsweek]]|first=Gabe|last=Whisnant|date=October 14, 2024|accessdate=October 15, 2024}}</ref> The claims received attention when amplified by independent journalists like [[Christopher Rufo]]. Citing an analysis from plagiarism expert Jonathan Bailey, ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that "The five passages that Mr. Rufo cited appeared to have been taken partly from other published work without quotation marks" and concluded that "none of the passages in question took the ideas or thoughts of another writer, which is considered the most serious form of plagiarism. Instead, the sentences copy descriptions of programs or statistical information that appear elsewhere."<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Saul |first1=Stephanie |last2=Patel |first2=Vimal |last3=Freedman |first3=Dylan |date=October 14, 2024 |title=Conservative Activist Seizes on Passages From Harris Book |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/us/christopher-rufo-kamala-harris-book.html |website=The New York Times}}</ref> However, after examining Weber's dossier in full, Bailey later stated that the plagiarism case was more serious than he had communicated to the ''Times''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 16, 2024 |title=Plagiarism expert: Harris book shows 'sloppy writing habits,' not 'wholesale fraud' |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4937754-plagiarism-expert-harris-book-shows-sloppy-writing-habits-not-wholesale-fraud/ |website=The Hill}}</ref>


Em Steck writing for CNN reported on the book that while Harris had, "...lifted language...in her 2007 congressional testimony..." that this according to Steck, "...does not constitute a serious example of plagiarism."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Steck |first=Em |date=2024-10-22 |title=Harris lifted language from Republican attorney in her 2007 congressional testimony {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/22/politics/kamala-harris-plagiarism-allegation-congressional-testimony/index.html |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>
⚫
Some critics have observed that Harris did not pay enough attention to race, instead attributing the problem of disparities in the system to class,<ref name="Buzzfeed"/> and mentioning [[racial profiling]] from [[law enforcement]] only twice.<ref name="Vox">{{cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/1/23/18184192/kamala-harris-president-campaign-criminal-justice-record|title=Kamala Harris's controversial record on criminal justice, explained|work=Vox|first=German|last=Lopez|date=August 12, 2020|accessdate=August 21, 2020}}</ref> In one passage, she dispels the notion that communities of color are inherently hostile towards the police saying, "There is a widely held notion that poor communities, particularly poor African-American and Latino communities, consider law enforcement the enemy and that they do not want police officers in their neighborhoods. In fact, the opposite is true. Both my experience and scientific surveys reflect this fact again and again. I can state categorically that economically poor people want and support law enforcement."<ref name="Buzzfeed"/>


''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]'' magazine commented that, "similar [plagiarism] transgressions ended the career of Harvard University President [[Claudine Gay]]" and questioned CNN's coverage of Harris' plagiarism for receiving a more gentle handling in their reporting.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Soave |first=Robby |date=2024-10-17 |title=The media shouldn't overlook Kamala Harris's plagiarism |url=https://reason.com/2024/10/17/the-media-shouldnt-overlook-kamala-harris-plagiarism/?utm_medium=reason_email&utm_source=new_at_reason&utm_campaign=reason_brand&utm_content=How%20Are%20'Reason'%20Staffers%20Voting%20in%202024?&utm_term=&time=October%2017th,%202024&mpid=38717&mpweb=2534-4723-38717 |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=Reason.com |language=en-US}}</ref> ''Reason'' specifically criticized [[CNN]]'s perceived imbalanced reporting as it relates to Republican's involved in or proximate to allegations of plagiarism such as [[Melania Trump]], stating:<blockquote>CNN's report on the Harris plagiarism accusation is headlined: "Conservative activist accuses Harris of plagiarizing passages in co-authored 2009 book." Note that the identity of the accuser—of the plagiarism discoverer—was not at issue in the Melania Trump case. But here, mainstream media feels compelled to position Rufo rather than Harris at the center of the controversy.<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>
In response, Harris has stated that she is aware of the racial biases in criminal justice and policing, citing her decision to become a prosecutor as an extension of the work her parents did during the [[civil rights movement]].<ref name="Buzzfeed"/> Those same critics have also noted that since being elected to the [[2016 United States Senate election in California|U.S. Senate in 2016]], Harris has become more assertive on issues such as [[prison reform]], [[racial equality]], and [[Police reform in the United States|scrutinizing police practices]].<ref name="Buzzfeed"/><ref name="Vox"/>


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:American political books]]
[[Category:American political books]]
[[Category:Books by Kamala Harris]]
[[Category:Books by Kamala Harris]]
[[Category:English-language books]]
[[Category:Books involved in plagiarism controversies]]
[[Category:Race-related controversies in literature]]
[[Category:English-language non-fiction books]]

Latest revision as of 07:11, 3 January 2025

Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer
AuthorKamala Harris
Joan O'C. Hamilton
LanguageEnglish
GenreNonfiction
PublisherChronicle Books
Publication date
October 7, 2009
Publication placeUnited States
Pages205
ISBN978-0-8118-6528-9
OCLC864320794
Followed bySuperheroes Are Everywhere 

Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer is a book by Kamala Harris with Joan O'C. Hamilton, first published by Chronicle Books on October 7, 2009.[1]

Contents

[edit]

First published as Harris (then the San Francisco district attorney) was beginning her 2010 campaign for California Attorney General, the book outlines her vision of how the criminal justice system should function. She explains in detail why in her view, it is not enough to simply be tough on crime, and how prosecutors and lawmakers must also be smart and reform-minded in their approach.[2] She argues such changes would increase public safety, reduce costs, and strengthen communities.[1]

Reception

[edit]

Children's Defense Fund president Marian Wright Edelman praised the book saying:

Harris speaks from experience to debunk myths and offer real solutions to many of the problems with [our] current criminal justice system. Her suggestions have the potential to change and save lives.[3]

Some critics have observed that Harris did not pay enough attention to race, instead attributing the problem of disparities in the system to class,[2] and mentioning racial profiling from law enforcement only twice.[4] In one passage, she dispels the notion that communities of color are inherently hostile towards the police saying:

There is a widely held notion that poor communities, particularly poor African-American and Latino communities, consider law enforcement the enemy and that they do not want police officers in their neighborhoods. In fact, the opposite is true. Both my experience and scientific surveys reflect this fact again and again. I can state categorically that economically poor people want and support law enforcement.[2]

In response, Harris has stated that she is aware of the racial biases in criminal justice and policing, citing her decision to become a prosecutor as an extension of the work her parents did during the civil rights movement.[2] Those same critics have also noted that since being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, Harris has become more assertive on issues such as prison reform, racial equality, and scrutinizing police practices.[2][4]

Plagiarism

[edit]

In October 2024, an investigative report by Austrian plagiarism hunter Stefan Weber alleged that Harris may have plagiarized extensive portions of the book from Wikipedia and many other sources.[5][6] The claims received attention when amplified by independent journalists like Christopher Rufo. Citing an analysis from plagiarism expert Jonathan Bailey, The New York Times wrote that "The five passages that Mr. Rufo cited appeared to have been taken partly from other published work without quotation marks" and concluded that "none of the passages in question took the ideas or thoughts of another writer, which is considered the most serious form of plagiarism. Instead, the sentences copy descriptions of programs or statistical information that appear elsewhere."[7] However, after examining Weber's dossier in full, Bailey later stated that the plagiarism case was more serious than he had communicated to the Times.[8]

Em Steck writing for CNN reported on the book that while Harris had, "...lifted language...in her 2007 congressional testimony..." that this according to Steck, "...does not constitute a serious example of plagiarism."[9]

Reason magazine commented that, "similar [plagiarism] transgressions ended the career of Harvard University President Claudine Gay" and questioned CNN's coverage of Harris' plagiarism for receiving a more gentle handling in their reporting.[10] Reason specifically criticized CNN's perceived imbalanced reporting as it relates to Republican's involved in or proximate to allegations of plagiarism such as Melania Trump, stating:

CNN's report on the Harris plagiarism accusation is headlined: "Conservative activist accuses Harris of plagiarizing passages in co-authored 2009 book." Note that the identity of the accuser—of the plagiarism discoverer—was not at issue in the Melania Trump case. But here, mainstream media feels compelled to position Rufo rather than Harris at the center of the controversy.[10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Harris, Kamala (7 October 2009). Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer. Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0811865289.
  2. ^ a b c d e Hensley-Clancy, Molly (August 20, 2018). "The Complicated Politics Of Kamala Harris's First Book". Buzzfeed News. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  3. ^ "Publications". Joan O'C Hamilton. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Lopez, German (August 12, 2020). "Kamala Harris's controversial record on criminal justice, explained". Vox. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  5. ^ "Conservative Activist Seizes on Passages From Harris Book". CNN. October 14, 2024.
  6. ^ Whisnant, Gabe (October 14, 2024). "Kamala Harris 'Smart on Crime' Plagiarism Claims: Everything We Know". Newsweek. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  7. ^ Saul, Stephanie; Patel, Vimal; Freedman, Dylan (October 14, 2024). "Conservative Activist Seizes on Passages From Harris Book". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Plagiarism expert: Harris book shows 'sloppy writing habits,' not 'wholesale fraud'". The Hill. October 16, 2024.
  9. ^ Steck, Em (2024-10-22). "Harris lifted language from Republican attorney in her 2007 congressional testimony | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  10. ^ a b Soave, Robby (2024-10-17). "The media shouldn't overlook Kamala Harris's plagiarism". Reason.com. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
[edit]
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