Description |
viii, 413 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-393) and index. |
Contents |
Introduction : the rule of too much law -- Crime and punishment. Two migrations ; "The wolf by the ear" -- The past. Ideals and institutions ; The Fourteenth Amendment's failed promise ; Criminal justice in the gilded age ; A culture war and its aftermath ; Constitutional law's rise : three roads not taken ; Earl Warren's errors ; The rise and fall of crime, the fall and rise of criminal punishment -- The future. Fixing a broken system -- Epilogue : taming the wolf. |
Summary |
The rule of law has vanished in America's criminal justice system. Prosecutors now decide whom to punish and how severely. Almost no one accused of a crime will ever face a jury. Inconsistent policing, rampant plea bargaining, over-crowded courtrooms, and ever more draconian sentencing have produced a gigantic prison population, with black citizens the primary defendants and victims of crime. A leading criminal law scholar looks to history for the roots of these problems - and their solutions. |
Subject |
Crime prevention -- United States.
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Criminal justice, Administration of -- United States.
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United States -- Race relations.
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ISBN |
9780674051751 alkaline paper |
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0674051750 alkaline paper |
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