Crime and Punishment in America

by Elliott Currie

There are five times as many Americans behind bars today as in 1970. The national incarceration rate in 1997 was twice that in 1985. California's prison system has become the third largest in the world. And despite some limited recent declines in crime rates, we remain by far the most violent industrial society on earth.

Though our massive investment in the prison system has not resulted in enduring public safety, politicians and the media continue to insist that America's unique problem of violence is the result of a lenient society "soft" on criminals; that incarcerating an ever-larger proportion of our population is a "social program that works;" and that all other approaches to crime--from prevention to rehabilitation--have failed. Nationally acclaimed criminologist Elliott Currie dissects these myths in a groundbreaking book that is already changing the terms of the current debate.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime, Social Science, Law, True Crime, Adult

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 1998

About the author

Dr. Elliott Currie is Professor of Criminology, Law, and Society at the University of California, Irvine. A leading expert on crime, social inequality, and criminal justice policy, he has written extensively on juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, and violence in American society. His acclaimed book Crime and Punishment in America was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction, while Whitewashing Race: The Myth of a Colorblind America was a finalist for the C. Wright Mills Award and winner of the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute Book Award. He has served as a consultant for numerous organizations in the United States and abroad on issues of crime prevention, justice reform, and civil rights.

Reviews

[Austin]

I'm extremely sympathetic to the arguments that Currie made in this book, but I found the manner in which he made them to be misleading and disingenuous. He would cite an econometric study that supports his viewpoint in one paragraph and then, in the very next paragraph, dismiss an econometric study that opposes his viewpoint as mathematical sorcery that "mere mortals struggle to comprehend." You can't have it both ways.

[Leonardo]

...desde 1984, el estado de California ha construido una sola universidad, pero veintiuna prisiones.

Desigualdad Pág.179

[Al Menaster]

Quite simply, the best book on the criminal justice system. Documents, with evidence, why jail doesn't work and what does work. Make sure you read the 2013 edition.

[Lillian]

“It's rather that the experience of life year in, year out at the bottom of a harsh, depriving, and excluding social system wears away at the psychological and communal conditions that sustain healthy human development.
It stunts children's intellectual and emotional growth, undercuts parents' ability to raise children caringly and effectively, increases the risks of child abuse and neglect, and diminishes the capacity of adults to supervise the young.
It creates neighborhoods that are both dangerous and bereft of legitimate opportunities and role models, makes forming and maintaining families more difficult, and makes illicit activities far more alluring for teenagers and adults.
Life, in short, is harder, bleaker, less supportive, and more volatile at the bottom-especially when the bottom is as far down as it is in the United States, And those conditions, in ways both direct and indirect, both obvious and subtle, breed violent crime.” p130

[Jonathan Varnado]

Much of the arguments and solutions ring true today. Twenty-two years later, and as a nation we've finally recognized that our incarceration problem is indeed a problem. Yet, we still have failed to connect the need of social and economic reform to criminal justice. They are still treated as separate problems.

Police chiefs, DOC administrators, mayors, governors, and presidents should all read this book.

[Amy]

Currie's book complies the data and offers good solutions to mitigate the growing crisis of our prisons in 1998, sadly most of what he recommends is not been done. He writes "Suppose it is now 2005, and we have indeed doubled our national prison and jail populations..." sadly that has come to pass. This is a good book to overview the state our justice system.

[Michelle Kim]

I read this book in high school but re-reading it now is a whole different experience. I like how the author goes through various myths to explain why there may be some truth to them, but ultimately why they’re wrong. Tragic but unsurprising to see that absolutely none of his recommendations have been implemented in the US.

[Jennifer Triplett]

I wish everyone would read this. Alas, our criminal justice system will continue to be dysfunctional as will most of our social systems.

[Michael Stocksdale]

Elliott Currie exposes many issues about why the American prison population has been escalating out of control. He primarily focuses on the youth of America and how child abuse and neglect plays a major role in future violent offenders. In one instance 14 members of death row had experienced some form of child abuse during their early years. In his closing statement, Currie leaves the condition of our penal system up to the citizens of this country because it is up to us if we want to control our inmate population.

I found Crime and Punishment in America to be an exceptional read. While I fully agreed with Currie's stance on child abuse, I still disagree with his assertion that punishment does not work as a form of correction and justice. It truly is up to us to change the escalating condition of our over populated system, and books such as Currie's are well on there way to educating the population on this issue.

[Jd Gieson]

Elliott Currie delved himself deeply into the world of criminal delinquency and solutions to such problems. It sparked very interesting topics that could lead to many different conversations regarding such situations. As my research policy paper highlighted, Currie discussed the relationships between educational attainment and criminal activity. I thought this was a very interesting topic of discussion. Overall this book is a good representation that exemplifies conflicts within American society.

[Elizabeth]

Fascinating. I learned a lot about the prison industry.

[Jon]

208

[Fredrick Danysh]

Currie explores the American legal system and how criminals are treated.

[Rosa]

Not the most exciting and engaging read, but an important one that's written clearly and succinctly.