Making Crime Pay: Law and Order in Contemporary American Politics (Studies in Crime and Public Policy)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.57 (596 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0195136268 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 158 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-08-27 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Katherine Beckett challenges this interpretation, arguing instead that the origins of the punitive shift in crime control policy lie in the political rather than the penal realm--particularly in the tumultuous period of the 1960s.. Why is this the case? How have crime, drugs, and delinquency come to be such salient political issues, and why have enhanced punishment and social control been defined as the most appropriate responses to these complex social problems? Making Crime Pay: Law and Order in Contemporary American Politics provides original, fascinating, and persuasive answers to these questions. According to conventional wisdom, the worsening of the crime and drug problems has led the public to become more punitive, and "tough" anti-crime policies are politicians' collective response to this popular sentiment. Most Americans are not aware that the US prison population has tripled over the past two decades, nor that the US has the highest rate of incarceration in the industrialized world. Despite these facts, politicians from across the ideological spectrum continue to campaign on "law and order" platforms and to propos
Makes startling points tmckee This was used as a text for an intro Criminology course I took. Read it cover to cover and found the information contained within disturbing as well as interesting.Walks through how laws are created, how they can evolve from politics and public perception regardless of the actual crime rate and how the media is often complicit with government in manufacturing public conc. Amazon Customer said A must read!!. Beckett's research provides one of the best causal explanations for mass incarceration, making the book a must read for every criminologist. I highly recommend her work, Beckett remains a pivotal researcher of social control and racial typification.. "Five Stars" according to C. Shain. school book
Langran, Villanova University"well-written, sharply focusedovides a useful perspective on an immensely consequential issue."--Choice"Beckett does an excellent job deconstructing the politics of crime policy in this country."--The ICCA Review of Books"Beckett immerses herself in the political, social, historical, and discursive context of crime contol in America. The result is an excellent example of how interdisciplinary research can enhance our understanding of complex social phenomena."--Journal of Criminal Justice. "This is a well thought out, timely, and interesting look at one of the toughest problems in the United States."--Robert W
Katherine Beckett is Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Indiana University, Bloomington.