NCJ Number
155117
Journal
Social Justice Volume: 21 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1994) Pages: 14-29
Date Published
1994
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the quick reversal of the trend toward criminal justice reform that began in the early 1990's with growing support for alternatives to incarceration, peaked in 1993, and declined by 1994 into a more repressive criminal justice climate.
Abstract
In January 1994, 31 percent of Americans surveyed considered crime to be the Nation's most important problem; this was followed closely by "three strikes and you're out" laws and other get-tough crime prevention measures. The decline of reform can be traced both to short-term developments in 1993 as well as to more longstanding concerns; some of these include electoral campaigns, media sensationalization, economic issues, the role of the conservative movement, and underlying racism. Strategies and tactics which reformers might use to move toward a more hopeful long-term vision revolve around fiscal arguments, support for rehabilitation, bold criminal justice initiatives, and crime control as a civil rights issue. 14 references