Crime & Politics: Big Government's Erratic Campaign for Law and Order [Hardcover]

Ted Gest (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195103432 | ISBN-13: 978-0195103434 | Publication Date: July 26, 2001

Why has America experienced an explosion in crime rates since 1960? Why has the crime rate dropped in recent years? Though politicians are always ready both to take the credit for crime reduction and to exploit grisly headlines for short-term political gain, these questions remain among the most important-and most difficult to answer-in America today.
In Crime & Politics, award-winning journalist Ted Gest gives readers the inside story of how crime policy is formulated inside the Washington beltway and state capitols, why we've had cycle after cycle of ineffective federal legislation, and where promising reforms might lead us in the future. Gest examines how politicians first made crime a national rather than a local issue, beginning with Lyndon Johnson's crime commission and the landmark anti-crime law of 1968 and continuing right up to such present-day measures as "three strikes" laws, mandatory sentencing, and community policing. Gest exposes a lack of consistent leadership, backroom partisan politics, and the rush to embrace simplistic solutions as the main causes for why Federal and state crime programs have failed to make our streets safe. But he also explores how the media aid and abet this trend by featuring lurid crimes that simultaneously frighten the public and encourage candidates to offer another round of quick-fix solutions.
Drawing on extensive research and including interviews with Edwin Meese, Janet Reno, Joseph Biden, Ted Kennedy, and William Webster, Crime & Politics uncovers the real reasons why America continues to struggle with the crime problem and shows how we do a better job in the future.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The protagonists of this ambitious account are an elusive figure named Effective Anti-Crime Legislation and the tragic John Q. Public; Partisan Politician, Lobbyist and the Media play supporting roles. Gest, an award-winning writer for U.S. News and World Report, reenacts the 30-year modern American crime drama to show that we are shooting in the dark, so to speak, in our crime legislation we don't know what is effective in reducing crime. In his extensive research, he interviewed key crime-fighters, including former U.S. Attorneys General Edwin Meese and Janet Reno, and federal legislators Arlen Specter, Edward Kennedy and Joseph Biden. Gest presents back-room views of laws and administration policies that range from "Just Say No" and Three Strikes, to the truth-in-sentencing initiative and juvenile boot camps. Since the mid-'60s, when conservative Republican Barry Goldwater "put crime on the national agenda," politicians have tried to appear tough on crime. Gest largely attributes ineffective crime legislation to inconsistent leadership, ideological bickering, misguided theatrics and hasty, simplistic solutions, particularly following the Columbine and Polly Klaas tragedies. He takes the media to task for sensationalism and ignoring meaningful debate and success stories. Gest notes promising, mostly grassroots (as opposed to federal) reforms and offers a seed plan for smarter crime-fighting. But this dense, scholarly book lacks enough concrete examples to ground the lay reader. Students of crime, sociology and politics should find it rather informative.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Journalist Gest argues in this critical look at the federal war on crime that since 1964, when Barry Goldwater unsuccessfully tried to make crime a national political issue, both liberal Democratic and conservative Republican administrations alike have co-opted Goldwater's initiative and tried to exploit the issue for their own political gain without solving the problem. The result has been disastrous, Gest believes simplistic, punitive legislation based solely on political criteria ("getting tough on crime") rather than on criminological research. Crime-related problems such as youth gangs, drug use, and teen violence, which previously were matters of state and local law, became federalized and instead of looking at root causes of crime and trying to rehabilitate offenders, politicians have turned to catchall, politically popular devices such as trying young offenders in adult courts and imposing mandatory minimum sentences. Gest is particularly critical of the mass media for sensationalizing crime rather than reporting on anticrime practices. The options he suggests, however, are modeled on isolated regional efforts that try to target specific causes of crime and are largely untested. Although Gest puts his hope on these one-shot programs, he leaves readers with a stark portrait of a national problem that has no clear solution. Jack Forman, San Diego Mesa Coll. Lib., San Diego
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195103432
• ISBN-13: 978-0195103434
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,731,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating inside story of crime policy, June 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Crime & Politics: Big Government's Erratic Campaign for Law and Order (Hardcover)

Why has America experienced an explosion in crime rates since 1960? Why has the crime rate dropped in recent years? Though politicians are always ready to both to take the credit for crime reduction and to exploit grisly headlines for short-term political gain, these questions remain among the most important and most difficult to answer in America today.

In CRIME AND POLITICS, award-winning journalist Ted Gest gives readers the inside story of how crime policy is formulated within the Washington beltway and state capitols, why we've had cycle after cycle of ineffective federal legislation, and where promising reforms might lead us in the future. Gest examines how politicians first made crime a national rather than a local issue, beginning with Lyndon Johnson's crime commission and the landmark anti-crime law of 1968, and continuing right up to such present-day measures as "three strikes" laws, mandatory sentencing, and community policing. Gest exposes a lack of consistent leadership, backroom partisan politics, and the rush to embrace simplistic solutions as the main causes for why Federal and state crime programs have failed to make our streets safe.

Drawing on extensive research and including interviews with Edwin Meese, Janet Reno, Joseph Biden, Ted Kennedy, and William Webster, CRIME AND POLITICS uncovers the real reasons why American continues to struggle with the crime problem and shows how we can do a better job in the future.

"Ted Gest's book is a unique contribution to understanding how criminal justice policies are fashioned at the national level. The book offers a compelling insider's view of the deals, political bargains, individual egos, and agency turf wars that shape the real world of federal criminal policy. The book spans several decades in which the modern criminal justice system was born and shaped. It is a must read for those who want to know how America lost its way in the war against crime--and how we might find a path back to enlightened and rational domestic policies."--Dr. Barry Krisberg, President, National Council on Crime and Delinquency

"Crime is not just a continuing national problem, it is also a major focus of jockeying for political advantage. Ted Gest is a distinguished journalist who has dvoted his career to studying both crime and the political machinations it engenders. His book is filled with important insights into the problems of crime and its political battlegrounds."--Alfred Blumstein, H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University