History of Crime and Punishment in America: 1900–1950

By the early 20th century, urbanization and the advent of new technologies meant rapid changes not only for American society but also for American legal culture. With cars to race across state lines, telephones to keep in touch with faraway accomplices, and access to more dangerous weapons like the machine gun, crime could no longer be contained by small, local police forces. The early 20th century saw the expansion of federal involvement in crime fighting, including the creation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the ...