Abstract
The intent of the authors in the present text is to disentangle the overlapping and sometimes contradictory foundations and elements of the American political process, public fiscal management, individual criminality, and resultant public and criminal justice policy. The coalescence of topics by the authors is no easy task, especially in a text seemingly designed for adoption in a (n undergraduate) classroom.
In order to set the stage for the reader, the authors provide some much needed—despite being quite basic—knowledge of the American political system. While some of the topics—such as the construction of the political systems following the Revolutionary War—may be a review for many, the perspective the authors take is important for the reader in delineating between federal and state powers, and ultimately how those affect criminal justice policy. Of particular importance are the specific legislative mandates and Supreme Court rulings cited that have helped shape governmental powers of the present day, defining how and when the federal and state governments become authorities in the construction and implementation of law.
In Chapter 2, the authors begin to introduce economically and politically relevant criminological theories in describing possible contributing factors to criminal behavior. Most are—in some way, associated with a conflict model describing opposing or disparate groups—managed, as exemplified, by acts such as the Black Codes and Jim Crow laws.
Chapters 3 and 4 resume the descriptive orientation of the opening chapter. In Chapter 3, the authors provide a historical overview of the American criminal justice system, including discussion of the court system(s), law enforcement, and the correctional system(s). In Chapter 4, various fiscal considerations of crime are explored. These include criminal justice agency expenditures, cost to victims, labor statistics in the criminal justice field, and costs associated with criminal incidents.
Chapter 5 discusses, in greater detail, the effects of media, moral panics, and poorly conducted or explained research on criminal justice policy. The authors specifically make note of the moral panics related to drugs and the policies therein that have resulted from the promulgation of largely false ideas and research findings. Chapter 6 continues the discussion by examining the proliferation of interest groups in the United States that have become increasingly effective at shaping political viewpoints and, ultimately, voting practices—both largely influential in the creation and adoption of criminal justice policy. Of particular note is the discussion of how these groups may differ, specifically in their focus: single-issue interest groups such as the National Rifle Association and general interest groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union.
The three subsequent chapters (Chapters 7 through 9) focus on the “political economy” of the various components of the American criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections. In the examination of each element of the criminal justice system, the authors elaborate on the historical analysis found in Chapter 3 to explain how politicalization has affected their development and expansion. The authors pay particular attention to the role of policy and fiscal management of the various sectors: How the police, court systems, and corrections systems came to be in its current form; how they are funded; and how these funding practices affect the public and certain groups in particular for better or worse.
The authors conclude the text with a very brief, though cogent, discussion of the problem that is epitomized by the title of the book. The implication is that law and policy are functions of the political process inherent in the republican form of government to which America subscribes. These laws and policies have helped shape the criminal justice system and place it in a decadelong pattern of (perhaps unneeded and maybe deleterious) growth. While some may view the conclusion and elements of the text, such as the discussion of group conflict, as being too critical, the text should instead be acknowledged for what it is: A sound introduction and discussion of criminal justice policy matters, as it relates to American political practices and financial considerations. The text may leave some to be desired in the form of structure and flow from chapter to chapter; however, a pleasant surprise was its construction by way of key terms and discussion questions that followed each chapter. The book is set up quite well to introduce these topics to students and provide mechanisms for their synthesis.