Thinking about Crime: Sense and Sensibility in American Penal Culture

by Michael Tonry

Book Overview

Crime is an American preoccupation. Campaigns such as "the war on drugs," zero tolerance policing, and three strikes and you're out--not to mention the ever-shrill coverage of crime stories-all suggest a perpetually outraged nation determined to keep its criminal element at bay, no matter the cost.

But is this really what average Americans think about crime and crime control measures? Or is the "no holds barred" approach merely another oscillation...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195141016
• ISBN13: 9780195141016
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.3" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

A valuable contribution with some missing pieces

Tonry presents an informed and comprehensive discussion of the modern penal state in America. He provides an excellent critique of the various hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the current astronomical use of imprisonment, systematically demonstrating why each major explanation is theoretically or empirically incomplete. However, when it comes time for his own proposed explanation, his argument starts to show holes. Tonry proposes that a massive change in "penal sensibilities" caused the change in penal culture and practices in America. While he attempts to differentiate these penal sensibilities from the opinions of the public or political elites, he never clearly presents an operational definition of penal sensibilities. I was left questioning whose sensibilities could have changed if not those of the public or political elites? This lack of clarity is a significant hole in his theory, one that should be addressed in future scholarship. Still, Tonry's contribution to the study of politics and punishment is indisputable, and this book should be required reading for anyone interested in the problem of punishment in modern America.

Praise for THINKING ABOUT CRIME

"Here we have solid insights into a system gone awry. The cost is needless suffering and huge distortions in our spending priorities."--Paul Simon, former U.S. Senator, Illinois

REVIEW

From the Publisher: "Michael Tonry is one of the most provocative editors and authors in matters of crime policy. In "Thinking About Crime," he challenges the spate of punitive actions that characterized the final third of the last century. He brings historical and cross-national perspectives to this important inquiry into how America's punishment polices went out of control. Drawing on his extensive experience in sentencing and corrections, he provides a number of sober suggestions for bringing restraint back into the punishment process. This is an important book that should be widely read and discussed." --Al Blumstein, "The Crime Drop"

REVIEW

From the Publisher: "No one would have chosen the criminal justice system America now has....it is too severe, too expensive, and locks up too many black and poor Americans. In this brilliant book, Michael Tonry shows how things came to be as they are, and how they can be made better." Carol Moseley Braun,former U.S. Senator, Illinois

Exceptional

Anyone making criminal justice policy should read "Thinking About Crime." In this book, Michael Tonry closely examines the very different ways nations have responded to changing crime patterns and shifting cultural sensibilities over the past several decades. In so doing, he offers an intriguing analysis of how and why the United States has emerged at the beginning of the twenty-first century with by far the most punitive but by no means the most effective punishment policy. His ability to navigate complexities and render them obvious, makes this important book a pleasure to read.