Prisons | Alternatives to Incarceration Would Benefit Society

About the author: David C. Anderson is the author of Crime and the Politics of Hysteria: How the Willie Horton Story Changed American Justice.

What’s behind the declines in violent crime? The question prompts lively discussion among people coming at a huge social issue from different angles: Some point to random demographic changes, others cite lock-’em-up prison policies; still others, most recently, point to more astute policing. This debate is not exactly a replay of the old argument over root causes versus tough law enforcement. The deep social pathologies that...

[The entire page is 4415 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the: