Clinton, William (Administration of)

Criminal justice policy was central to Bill Clinton's (1946-) presidential administration (1993–2001). Coming into office after more than two decades in which the Republican Party had dominated political debates over crime by emphasizing policing and punishment, the Democratic Clinton administration was determined to demonstrate that it could provide tough and effective criminal justice. While the Clinton administration supported traditionally liberal positions such as gun control, it also ratified punitive programs more often associated with conservatives. At the same time, the Clinton administration had ...