In the seemingly never-ending tumult that is 2020, I have found some respite in the formulaic logic of TV detective series, where the motives are clear, and the bad guy always ends up behind bars. TV justice isn’t messy. There is no doubt, once the perp is caught, that justice is satisfied. We are not exposed to, much less challenged to contemplate the systemic, trans-generational cycles of trauma and oppression that so often inform real-world law enforcement.

It’s true: fiction often reveals truth. The TV whodunit mirrors and helps insulate a common misperception of crime and punishment: that the removal of bad apples addresses the root cause of the rot. Generations of people have been harmed by this convenient and comforting view of a government system that fairly and effectively disposes of those who are undesirable or a threat. But recent events—captured and shown on TV thanks to cellphones—coupled with “13th” on Netflix (plus the 1619 Project, the New Jim Crow, and Waking Up White, among others) have revealed just how the “justice” system  sits on a shaky foundation constructed of  prejudice, stereotype and  categorizations that can only be charitably termed arbitrary. The mass incarceration of people of color—of which Pennsylvania is a world leader—is an example of this.

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