Asphalt Justice: A Critique of the Criminal Justice System in America

by John R. Cook

Overview

The current emphasis on get tough approaches to crime has had and will continue to have a disastrous impact on society as a whole. Cook, who has worked extensively in various capacities throughout the criminal justice system, argues that the failure to encourage treatment and rehabilitation is extremely shortsighted and serves only to postpone societal ills. He examines the prison experience as a psychological experience and suggests that restructuring the prison environment to focus on changing the behavior of criminals will ultimately be more cost effective and more beneficial to society. Approaching the problem of crime in a coordinated and systematic way will produce more results than the current reliance on political posturing and media sound bites.

Recent formulation of crime policy often seems driven by statistically rare and exceptional events, and the new laws passed in response to sensational events have actually resulted in an ever-growing and increasingly violent criminal underclass. Similarly, the trend toward incarceration and extreme punishment as the primary means of correction has led to unfortunate consequences. Overcrowding, massive prison construction, and the siphoning of funds from the rest of the public sector are all get tough byproducts. This study proposes solutions to current systemic problems aimed at those interested in trying to develop plans or treatment strategies within correctional settings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275968274
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/30/2000
Series:	Praeger Series in Criminology and Crime Control Policy
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

JOHN RAYMOND COOK is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Mars Hill College in North Carolina./e He has worked extensively throughout the criminal justice system.

Table of Contents

Preface
Get Smart on Crime
A House Built on Sand
Two Sides of the Same Coin
Politicians and Bureaucrats
Ball Four "Solutions" that Miss the Plate
Gangs, Militias and Organized Crime
Juvenile Crime
Insanity and Mental Health
Coercive Treatment, Civil Liberties and Change
The New Gulag
Get Smart on Crime—Part II
Classification and Treatment: Earning Release
Prevention is Not a Four Letter Word
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

Examines the pathetic state of the criminal justice system, how it came to be this way, and what needs to be done to change it. Argues that the culture that exists within the criminal justice system is one that works at cross-purposes to itself, and recommends great changes in systems for sentencing, treatment, rehabilitation, education, and evaluation of fitness for return to free society. Cook teaches psychology at Mars Hill College. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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