Rafael A. Mangual - The Data Behind "Criminal [In]Justice" | Part 2

Rafael A. Mangual - The Data Behind "Criminal [In]Justice" | Part 2

From Heroes Behind the Badge by Citizens Behind the Badge

May 21, 2026 · 39 min · Episode 54

About this episode

Rafael A. Mangual discusses the data and narratives surrounding criminal justice, focusing on systemic issues and the impact of policies like bail reform.

In Part 2 of his Heroes Behind the Badge conversation, Rafael Mangual opens with the story that drove him to write his book. In July 2019, Brittany Hill, 24 years old, holding her one-year-old daughter outside her home on Chicago's west side, was shot dead when a car pulled up and opened fire. She turned, shielded her daughter, took the bullets, stumbled three steps, and collapsed with the child still clinging to her neck. The man arrested had nine prior felony convictions, including murder. He was free on parole. That case is the emotional and intellectual center of "Criminal Injustice," and it frames everything Mangual argues in this half of the conversation. He explains why Democrat-run cities consistently produce higher murder rates and why the red state murder narrative collapses when homicide data is broken down by city rather than state. He presents NYPD fatal force statistics spanning 50 years, showing a 90% decline with no public acknowledgment from the police reform movement. He responds directly to the systemic racism narrative in policing, citing peer-reviewed research from scholars across the political spectrum, including left-leaning researchers whose own data…

People in this episode

Guest: Rafael A. Mangual

Topics covered

  • criminal justice
  • policing
  • murder rates
  • bail reform
  • systemic racism

Keywords

  • criminal justice
  • murder rates
  • bail reform
  • systemic racism
  • NYPD statistics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NYPD, Illinois, New York

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