Sense and Nonsense About Crime and Drugs: A Policy Guide

by Samuel E. Walker

Walker's SENSE AND NONSENSE was the first book to challenge common misconceptions about crime and remains the most effective at doing so. Described as a "masterful critique" of American policies - on everything from crime control to guns to drugs - Walker cuts through myths and political rhetoric and confronts both conservative and liberal propositions relative to current research and proven effectiveness. The result is a research-based, lucid work that stimulates critical thinking and enlivens class discussions. Walker captures the complexity of the administration of justice while providing students with a clear sense of the general patterns.

Genres: Textbooks, Crime, Nonfiction, Law

333 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 1988

About the author

Samuel Walker is Professor Emeritus of Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, where he taught for 31 years before retiring in 2005. He is the author of 13 books on policing, criminal justice history and policy, and civil liberties. His current research involves police accountability, focusing primarily on citizen oversight of the police and police Early Intervention Systems (EIS). Originally trained as a historian, he is completing a book on U.S. presidents and civil liberties. His personal website, with information on police accountability is: http: //samuelwalker.net.

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does society defines crime? What criteria and standards are used to classify deviant and acceptable behaviors? Walker does well in exploring the social, cultural and political webs as well as noting the way media often influences our perception of crime, drugs and communities for better or worse.

[Lauren]

too soon to tell...