Smarter crime control : a guide to a safer future for citizens, communities, and politicians / Irvin Waller.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The U.S. is the world´s biggest jailor and one of the most affluent murderous countries, and yet its citizens pay more taxes to sustain law and order than their European counterparts. Yet, the U.S. has the most data in the world on the use of incarceration and its failure. Its researchers have identified more projects able to prevent violence than the rest of the world put together. Its legislators have access to pioneering data banks on cost effective ways to use taxes to reduce crime. We are left wondering why we cannot implement measures that we know will work, reduce crime, and cost less for law and order.



Smarter Crime Control shows how to use recent knowledge and best practices to reduce the extraordinarily high rates of murder, traffic fatalities, drug overdoses, and incarceration, while avoiding the high taxes paid by families for policing and prisons. Providing detailed examples, Irvin Waller offers specific actions our leaders at all levels can take to reduce violence and lower costs to taxpayers. He focuses on how to retool policing and improve corrections to reduce reoffending and crime, while limiting criminal courts. He also shows how programs and investments in various strategies can help those youth on the path to chronic offending avoid the path all together.



Waller shows how to get smart on crime to shift the criminal justice paradigm from the failing, outdated, racially biased, and exorbitant complex today to an effective, modern, fair and lean system for safer communities that spares so many victims from the loss and pain of preventable violence. He makes a compelling case for reinvesting what is currently misspent on reacting to crime into smart ways to prevent crime. Ultimately, he demonstrates to readers the importance of reevaluating our current system and putting into place proven strategies for crime and violence prevention that will keep people out of jail and make our streets and communities safer for everyone.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

The U.S. has the most expensive criminal justice system in the world, imprisons more people than other nations, and yet continues to have the highest rates of violent crimes. Why haven't all the money and prisons made a difference in the rates of murders and drug offenses? Canadian scholar and crime consultant Waller examines the ample research on policing, the courts, and the correctional system for strategies that can actually reduce and prevent crime and unwind the policies that have racialized crime and punishment in the U.S. Beyond the troubling crime statistics, Waller explores initiatives to reduce a range of crime, from violence against women to gun violence to traffic fatalities. Focusing on efforts to reduce the likelihood of youth getting involved in crime, Waller argues that early childhood programs, family therapy, life skills training, conflict-resolution mentoring, and other efforts are more effective and cost efficient than current tactics. This is a well-researched and effective guide for parents, educators, police, legislators, and others, with solid strategies for taking action to reduce crime and its cost to society.--Bush, Vanessa Copyright 2010 Booklist