Crime Control in America

John L. Worrall is Professor of Criminology and Director of the MS Program in Justice Administration and Leadership (JAL) at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). Both his MA (criminal justice) and PhD (political science) were received from Washington State University, where he graduated in 1999. Dr. Worrall has published articles and book chapters on a variety of topics ranging from legal issues in policing to crime measurement, having been ranked one of the most prolific sole and lead authors in the discipline. He has also authored a number of other popular books, including Introduction to Criminal Justice (with Larry Siegel) and Criminal Procedure: From First Contact to Appeal. Dr. Worrall is Executive Director of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and continues to serve as editor of the journal Police Quarterly, a position he has held since 2008.

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1: Identifying and Evaluating Crime Control
Crime Control and Prevention
The Crime Problem in America
     Types of Crimes
     The Ever-Expanding Criminal Law
     Incidence of Crime
     Costs of Crime and Criminals
     Is Fear of Crime Worse Than Crime Itself?
Approaches, Not Just Policies
     Laws
     Official Policies, Written and Unwritten
     Unofficial Approaches
On the Importance of Definitions
     Defining the Crime Problem
     Defining the Solution
     Defining the Desired Outcome
Evaluating Success: An Impossible Task?
     The Hard and Soft Sciences
     The Elusive Criminal Justice Experiment
     You Can Prove Anything with Statistics
     Qualitative and Quantitative Research
     Macro- and Micro-Level Crime Control
Displacement and Diffusion
     Measuring Displacement and Diffusion
The Tentative Nature of Scientific Knowledge
     The Measures Used
     When New Data Become Available
     Alternative Settings: The Generalization Problem
     Other Concerns
Funding and Political Priorities
     Academic Crusaders and Bandwagon Science
Evidence-Based Justice
     Effective Does Not Always Mean Best
A Preview of the Book
     Guns and Drugs: The Real Attention Getters
Summary
Notes

Chapter 2: Crime Control Perspectives
Operational Perspectives
     Due Process and Crime Control
          Due Process Values
          Crime Control Values
     System and Nonsystem
          A Well-Oiled Machine?
          A Disorganized Mess?
     The Funnel Model of Justice
     The Criminal Justice Wedding Cake
Political Perspectives
     Liberals and Conservatives
          Causes of Crime
          Consequences of Crime for Society
          What Should Be Done About Crime?
     Consensus and Conflict
          Causes of Crime
          Consequences of Crime for Society
          What Should Be Done About Crime?
Other Perspectives
     Faith and Fact
     Crime Control and Revenue Generation
     Politics and Ivory Towers
Goals of Crime Control
     Deterrence
          General and Specific Deterrence
          Absolute and Marginal Deterrence