CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY

Hardback. A book which offers a sweeping social history of America’s criminal justice system from colonial times to the 1990s. the author, a Stanford law professor, traces how societal values shaped crime and punishment, reflecting America’s evolving character. In colonial theocracies, public shaming and religious morality dominated, punishing private immorality alongside violent crimes. The 19th century saw penitentiaries, professionalised police, and swindles rise with social mobility. The 20th century introduced regulatory crimes and “crimes of the self,” driven by individualism, alongside controversies over plea bargaining and the death penalty. The author highlights racial and class disparities, like harsher punishments for marginalised groups, and critiques the system’s adaptation to cultural shifts, such as liberalised morality laws. He concludes pessimistically, viewing crime as an intractable by-product of a free, individualistic society, with few viable solutions. With Bibliographical Essay, Notes and Index. 577pp. lge. 8vo. h/back. With tiny label to fpd o/w F. in F. protected dw. A fairly heavy book which will require additional postage if shipped overseas.