Controlling the Dangerous Classes A History of Criminal Justice in America

by Shelden, Randall G.

• ISBN13: 9780205571895
• ISBN10: 0205571891
• Additional ISBN(s): 9780205318896
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-09-21
• Publisher: Pearson
• More Book Details
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Summary

This text covers the history of criminal justice from a critical perspective and explores the historical biases of the criminal justice system. The overall theme of this book is that both the making of laws and the interpretation and application of these laws throughout the history of the criminal justice system has, historically, been class, gender, and racially biased. Moreover, one of the major functions of the criminal justice system has been to control those from the most disadvantaged sectors of the population, that is, the "dangerous classes." This theme is explored using a historical model, tracing the development of criminal law through the development of the police institution, the juvenile justice system, and the prison system.

Table of Contents

Perpetuating the Class System: The Development of Criminal Law	p. 20
The Development of the Police Institution: Controlling the Dangerous Classes	p. 66
Processing the Dangerous Classes: The American Court System	p. 102
Housing the Dangerous Classes: The Emergence and Growth of the Prison System	p. 145
Controlling the Young: The Emergence and Growth of the Juvenile Justice System	p. 188
Perpetuating Patriarchy: Keeping Women in their Place	p. 232
Crime Control in the New Millennium: New Mechanisms for Controlling the Dangerous Classes	p. 270
Where Do We Go From Here?	p. 306
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