Community Justice

by Todd R. Clear, John R. Hamilton Jr., Eric Cadora

Community Justice discusses concepts of community within the context of justice policy and programs, and addresses the important relationship between the criminal justice system and the community in the USA. Taking a bold stance in the criminal justice debate, this book argues that crime management is more effective through the use of informal (as opposed to formal) social control. It demonstrates how an increasing number of criminal justice elements are beginning to understand that the development of partnerships within the community that enhance informal social control will lead to a stabilization and possible a decline in crime, especially violent crime, and make communities more liveable. Borrowing from an eclectic toolbox of ideas and strategies - community organizing, environmental crime prevention, private-public partnerships, justice initiatives – Community Justice puts forward a new approach to establishing safe communities, and highlights the failure of the current American justice system in its lack of vision and misuse of resources. Providing detailed information about how community justice fits within each area of the criminal justice system, and including relevant case studies to exemplify this philosophy in action, this book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of subjects such as criminology, law and sociology.

168 pages, Paperback

First published August 12, 2002

Reviews

[Eponine Romo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a class. The concepts presented were important, but the structure of the book felt a bit... well... unstructured at times.
During the final chapter there seems to be new concepts introduced that aren't discussed through the rest of the book, which is a bit strange.

Overall not bad, but it could be organized better.

[Spicy T AKA Mr. Tea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reviews different facets of the criminal justice system and offers some more empathetic, social justice community-based solutions (what the authors call "community justice" beyond the standard, punitive criminal justice system. The book is broken up into 5 chapters detailing how community justice is or would impact the current system: impact of community justice on communities; policing; courts; corrections; and the future. The authors emphasize the need to gather and evaluate evidence in order to determine effectiveness. Community justice alternatives also require the political will to make sure reforms occur. Again, this book is not calling for abolition. It's calling for a reformed system. (Another book from a CJ Master's class.) It's not a long book and fairly accessible.