Sentencing Reform In Overcrowded Times: A Comparative Perspective

Sentencing Reform In Overcrowded Times: A Comparative Perspective

Sentencing and corrections issues are much the same in every Western nation. Increasingly, countries are importing policies and practices that have succeeded elsewhere. In that spirit, this volume brings together articles on sentencing reform in the United States, other English-speaking countries, and Western Europe, all written by leading national and international authorities on sentencing and punishment policy, practices, and institutions.Timely and readable, many of these essays provide brief yet detailed sentencing policy histories for countries and states. Others offer concise overviews of research on racial disparities, public opinion, and evaluation of the effects of new policies. Together, they illustrate the radical, precipitate, and hyperpoliticized nature of American sentencing reform in the last twenty-five years.Sentencing Reform in Overcrowded Times: A Comparative Perspective fills a major gap in the academic and policy literatures on this subject, and will be essential reading for students, scholars, and practitioners.Review"This book contains a great deal of importatnt information about sentencing, corrections, and about national and international efforts with respect to crime control. It is clearly written and well organized. It includes articles by leading and authoritative researchers in the correctional field. Most importantly, the book makes a strong intellectual case for correctional policies, which are empirically driven rather than driven by ideology and partisan politics, and for the wider use of alternatives to incarceration, espcially for non-violent criminals."--The Law and Politics BookReviewFrom the Back CoverSentencing and corrections issues are much the same in ever Western nation. Increasingly, countries are importing policies and practices that have succeeded elsewhere. In that spirit, this volume brings together articles on sentencing reform in the United States, other English-speaking countries, and Western Europe, all written by national and international authorities on sentencing and punishment policy, practices, and institutions.About the AuthorMichael Tonry is at University of Minnesota.