NCJ Number
110235
Editor(s)
J E Scott,
T Hirschi
Date Published
1988
Length
214 pages
Annotation
These 11 papers examine and recommend policy approaches for dealing with controversial topics at various stages of the criminal justice system, including types of crimes, policing, the courts, and corrections.
Abstract
Medicaid fraud is examined in terms of the elite status of its perpetrators and enforcement issues. An analysis of rape rates in relation to a State's number of adult theaters argues that pornography may serve as a 'safety valve' in society rather than as a stimulus to sexual assaults against women. A discussion of organized crime argues that the Federal prohibition policies regarding alcohol, drugs, and gambling have been criminogenic and the greatest contributor to the growth of organized crime in the United States. Papers on controversies in policing suggest that police shootings of citizens may be reduced by restricting police discretion in the use of firearms and challenges major evaluations of the effectiveness of police-run fencing operations. Articles focusing on the courts examine the principles underlying the insanity plea and suggest policy reforms that would reduce the number of wrongful convictions of the innocent and would compensate them for their injuries. Discussions of corrections express concern about the implications of using electronic monitoring of home incarceration, argue that probation alternatives provide control through such measures as home incarceration, consider alternative strategies for addressing prison overcrowding, and critically examine the assumptions underlying policies emphasizing the selective incapacitation of career criminals. Chapter tables, figures, and reference lists.