Speaking Truth to Power

“Dean A. Dabney and Richard Tewksbury have produced an important book. Based on years of fieldwork with police, Speaking Truth to Power takes the reader into the world of confidential informants. In the tradition of Gary Marx and James Q. Wilson, they build a picture of the relationships, activities, and organization of this important yet under-studied practice. This book is sure to be a classic for its treatment of the subject and methods of study.”—Scott H. Decker, Foundation Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University “Confidential informants have come to play a pivotal role in how contemporary policing and criminal justice are practiced. In Speaking Truth to Power, Dabney and Tewksbury shine a light on the subterranean world in which police seek to develop and work with informants. Through careful and meticulous fieldwork, they illuminate some of the complexities of the informant role and open up an important area for future scholarship that has been relatively neglected by criminologists.”—Martin Innes, Professor in the School of Social Sciences and Director of the Crime and Security Research Institute, Cardiff University