City of Inmates

City of Inmates examines the history of incarceration in Los Angeles from the 1850s to the 1960s. Through extensive archival research, Kelly Lytle Hernández traces how the city's jails and prisons became tools for removing, containing, and eliminating Indigenous, immigrant, and Black populations. The book centers on key episodes in Los Angeles history, including the displacement of native peoples, the targeting of Chinese immigrants, and the criminalization of Mexican migrants. Hernández demonstrates how incarceration served as a method of racial control and labor exploitation across different eras and communities. Hernández introduces the concept of "rebel archives" - records and testimonies from those who resisted confinement and documented systemic injustice. This work reveals incarceration's central role in the development of Los Angeles while connecting historical patterns to contemporary mass imprisonment. The narrative exposes how carceral practices shaped urban development and racial hierarchies in the American West. Through this regional study, Hernández illuminates broader national patterns of using prisons and jails as instruments of social control.

Readers highlight the book's detailed research into Los Angeles's carceral history and its documentation of how policing targeted Indigenous, immigrant, and racial minorities. Many note its effectiveness in connecting historical patterns to modern mass incarceration. Readers appreciated: - Clear connections between different eras of LA's imprisonment practices - Extensive archival evidence and data - Focus on overlooked historical perspectives Common criticisms: - Dense academic writing style can be difficult to follow - Some sections feel repetitive - Limited discussion of certain time periods Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (239 ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (51 ratings) Sample reader comment: "This book changed how I understand Los Angeles history, though the academic tone made some chapters challenging" - Goodreads reviewer Another notes: "The archival research is impressive but I wished for more coverage of the 1960s-1990s period" - Amazon reviewer

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🌟 Author Kelly Lytle Hernández is a MacArthur "Genius" Grant recipient and serves as the Thomas E. Lifka Endowed Chair in History at UCLA. 📚 The book reveals how Los Angeles became the city with the largest jail system in the United States through a 170-year history of incarceration practices. 🏛️ The research draws from previously untapped sources, including records that were nearly destroyed in a 1906 fire and documents that were deliberately preserved by community activists. ⚖️ The book introduces the concept of "eliminatory carceralism" - showing how incarceration was used as a tool to remove, contain, or eliminate Indigenous peoples, poor White people, Chinese immigrants, Mexican nationals, and African Americans from the developing city. 🗂️ The project took over 10 years to complete and faced significant challenges because many of the historical records about incarceration in Los Angeles were intentionally destroyed or "lost" by authorities over the years.