Out-of-Control Criminal Justice : The Systems Improvement Solution for More Safety, Justice, Accountability, and Efficiency

This book is for a diverse spectrum of readers. For scholars and students, it presents arguments about how systems problems create more crime and injustice. For criminal justice policymakers, administrators, and practitioners, it identifies the limitations of pursuing piecemeal reform. For the public, it illuminates what they can demand from the criminal justice system.

Out-of-Control Criminal Justice shows that our system of criminal justice is broken; it is out of control. The author writes that a research-based strategy is needed that builds on the insights of those who work within criminal justice or are affected by it. Such a strategy must entail continuous evaluation and improvement, so that what works can be expanded and what does not can be eliminated. Out-of-Control Criminal Justice identifies how systems problems plague our criminal justice systems. It then presents a comprehensive strategy for bringing these systems under control to reduce crime, to increase justice and accountability, and to do so at less cost. The strategy can be used, too, to create greater responsiveness to victims and communities, effectiveness in reducing racial and ethnic disparities, and understanding of the causes and consequences of crime. After describing this new approach, the book identifies the tools needed to implement a systems solution to create a safer and more just society.