History of Crime and Punishment in America: 1970-Present

Crime and punishment became fundamental issues in national politics during the 1960s and early 1970s. Amid deep social and economic change and increases in crime, contending political forces sought to change criminal justice policy: Liberals argued that crime was a social phenomenon [Page 789]and that the criminal justice system reproduced and deepened social stratification. Conservatives countered that crime was a matter of individual will and that the system coddled criminals. By the 21st century, incarceration had increased sixfold from its 1973 level, despite ...