Sensible Justice: Alternatives to Prison (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Anderson, an ex-member of the New York Times editorial board, has written two books on crime, most recently, Crime and the Politics of Hysteria: How the Willie Horton Case Changed American Justice (1995). Now he takes on "alternative sanctions": a range of probation-based supervision and rehabilitation programs involving no time in prison. Sensible Justice sketches these options in ascending order of severity, from community service, day reporting, and drug and sex offender treatment to residential restitution and boot camps, describing jurisdictions around the country that have used each well, closing with the work done in Maricopa County, Arizona, to construct a "ladder" of pre-prison sanctions. "Laddered" sanctions, Anderson cautions, demand thoughtful planning, "adequate funding and human resources, and . . . the support of public officials who believe in the need for them." He stresses that "recidivism shouldn't be the only measure of success," programs must be large to produce notable improvements, and directors must be flexible to deal with "the perverse complexities of social policy planning." Solid reporting on a vital subject. Mary Carroll

Review

Sensible Justice makes an important contribution to developing an effective national crime strategy. -- The Los Angeles Times Sunday Book Review, Barry Krisberg

Solid reporting on a vital subject. -- Booklist

[David Anderson] explodes a number of myths about alternative sentencing and concludes that a well-designed program can offer modest savings at no extra risk to the public. -- National Law Journal

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 182 pages
• Publisher: New Press, The (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565843894
• ISBN-13: 978-1565843899
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,210,827 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars These aren't the real alternatives, December 8, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

Instead of writing about the real alternatives to prison­such as less punative criminal justice policies that work to mend damaged communities instead of tear them further apart, Anderson's book uncritically describes programs that expand the state's power further, will saving no one from prison. Alternatives to Prison does a disservice to the subject it proports to examine. -Daniel Burton-Rose, co-editor, The Celling of America: An Inside Look at the U.S. Prison Industry.