NCJ Number
90287
Date Published
1981
Length
263 pages
Annotation
Seventeen papers examine some general problems in the areas of crime and criminal justice and specific problems in the areas of law enforcement, the courts, and corrections.
Abstract
The opening paper identifies fear of crime as a significant problem in American society which affects citizens' quality of life, independent of actual victimization. A report on research conducted with Connecticut inmates demonstrates the severe problem faced by the criminal justice system in its efforts to gain the respect of those under its charge, an essential ingredient for rehabilitation and reintegration of the offender. The final article in the opening section notes that the term criminal justice 'system' is a misnomer, since it is in fact a nonsystem debilitated by fragmentation and a lack of uniform objectives throughout case processing. Papers dealing with law enforcement focus on (1) the dynamics of becoming a police officer, (2) an analysis of the impact of police work on the individual officer, (3) problems encountered by the officer in controlling people, and (4) police corruption. Papers dealing with court operations address the behavior of grand juries, judicial discretion in sentencing, the role of the defense attorney, plea bargaining, and making the punishment fit the crime. The corrections papers consider the degrading aspects of incarceration, the criminal activities of inmate subcultures, female inmates, the parole hearing, and residential alternatives to incarceration. Chapter notes and references are provided, along with tabular data for some of the empirical studies.