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Asphalt Justice A Critique of the Criminal Justice System in America
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John Raymond Cook
ISBN: 0-275-96827-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-275-96827-4
224 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 10/30/2000
List Price: $115.00 (UK Sterling Price: £79.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects:
Description: The current emphasis on get tough approaches to crime has had and will continue to have a disastrous impact on society as a whole. Cook, who has worked extensively in various capacities throughout the criminal justice system, argues that the failure to encourage treatment and rehabilitation is extremely shortsighted and serves only to postpone societal ills. He examines the prison experience as a psychological experience and suggests that restructuring the prison environment to focus on changing the behavior of criminals will ultimately be more cost effective and more beneficial to society. Approaching the problem of crime in a coordinated and systematic way will produce more results than the current reliance on political posturing and media sound bites.

Recent formulation of crime policy often seems driven by statistically rare and exceptional events, and the new laws passed in response to sensational events have actually resulted in an ever-growing and increasingly violent criminal underclass. Similarly, the trend toward incarceration and extreme punishment as the primary means of correction has led to unfortunate consequences. Overcrowding, massive prison construction, and the siphoning of funds from the rest of the public sector are all get tough byproducts. This study proposes solutions to current systemic problems aimed at those interested in trying to develop plans or treatment strategies within correctional settings.
Table of Contents:
  • Preface
    Get Smart on Crime
    A House Built on Sand
    Two Sides of the Same Coin
    Politicians and Bureaucrats
    Ball Four "Solutions" that Miss the Plate
    Gangs, Militias and Organized Crime
    Juvenile Crime
    Insanity and Mental Health
    Coercive Treatment, Civil Liberties and Change
    The New Gulag
    Get Smart on Crime--Part II
    Classification and Treatment: Earning Release
    Prevention is Not a Four Letter Word
    Bibliography
About the Author: JOHN RAYMOND COOK is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Mars Hill College in North Carolina./e He has worked extensively throughout the criminal justice system.
LCC Class: 364
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