NCJ Number
227071
Date Published
2004
Length
271 pages
Annotation
This book presents and analyzes new research on the roles of crime, politics, media imagery, and citizen activism in shaping criminal justice policy in America in the age of mass incarceration.
Abstract
The central argument of this book is that the punitive trend in crime policy in the United States is not primarily due to a worsening crime problem or an increasingly fearful and vengeful public; rather, it has resulted primarily from political efforts to shift public perceptions of and legislative and enforcement policy toward a variety of social problems --including crime, addiction, and problem behaviors in poor communities. The standard political solution to these problems uses the criminal justice system to impose more punitive and repressive measures against targeted violators of the massive array of State and Federal laws. Following an introductory chapter, a chapter provides evidence that the expansion of the criminal justice system in recent decades is not directly related to any rising or unusually high crime rate. The exception to this conclusion, however, is America’s exceptionally high homicide rate. A person in the United States is between 3 and 10 times more likely to be killed in a homicide than in comparable countries. Chapter 3 analyzes why this is the case. Chapters 4-7 provide a detailed explanation for the adoption of punitive anticrime policies. Chapter 8 takes a closer look at the policy changes that have contributed to the growth of the criminal justice system, including harsh mandatory minimum and “three-strikes” sentencing laws, the revival of the death penalty, and the intensification of surveillance in the community. Chapter 9 suggests that political activism is needed to induce politicians to develop an alternative policy agenda that shifts crime control policies from punishment to prevention. Specific recommendations are offered. Chapter figures, tables, and notes; approximately 475 references; and a subject index