Böcker i Critical Issues in Crime and Society-serien

The American prison system has grown tenfold since the 1970s, but crime rates in the United States have not decreased. The author argues that our oversized prison system is a product of our consumer culture, the public's inaccurate beliefs about controlling crime, and the government's criminalization of the poor.

Surveillance is not simply about monitoring or tracking individuals and their data - it is about the structuring of power relations through human, technical, or hybrid control mechanisms. This title gathers together some of the very best researchers studying surveillance and discipline in contemporary public schools.

Documents the disproportionate representation of black Americans in the US criminal justice system. This book brings together twelve original essays by prominent scholars to examine not only the discrimination that is evident, but also the structural and cultural forces that have influenced and continue to perpetuate the situation.

In the US, murderers, particularly those sentenced to death, are usually considered as entirely different from the rest of us. Sociologist Susan F. Sharp challenges perspective by reminding us that those facing a death sentence, in addition to being murderers, are brothers or sisters, mothers or fathers, daughters or sons.

Presents an analytical and historical study of the juvenile justice system. Focusing on social reformers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this work argues that the 'child savers' movement was not an effort to liberate and dignify youth but, instead, a punitive and intrusive attempt to control the lives of working-class urban adolescents.

Brings together fifteen essays to show that those in positions of political and economic power frequently operate in collaboration, and are often all too willing to sacrifice the well-being of the many for the private profit and political advantage of the few.

Argues that the ""war on terror"" is a political charade that delivers illusory comfort, stokes fear, and produces scapegoats used as emotional relief. Drawing on topics such as the Abu Ghraib scandal, Guantanamo Bay, and the controversial Patriot Act, this work looks at the significance of knowledge, language, and emotion in a post-9/11 world.

Explores how societal beliefs about free will and moral responsibility have shaped policies and identifies the differences among the goals, ethos, and actions of the legal and health care systems. This book provides a critical analysis of topics, including legal standards for competency, insanity versus mental illness, and sex offenders.