Crime and Punishment in American History.

Lawrence Friedman recognizes the difficulty of sketching out a history of the American criminal justice system in just one volume, but he really gives it an excellent try. The Stanford law professor makes the subject as readable and interesting as a novel and creates a book that touches on every aspect of our law enforcement community--police, courts, jails, probation, parole, corrections and community corrections. If you are not a history buff when you begin this book, you probably will be by the time you finish.

The book is arranged chronologically, beginning with a section on the American Colonial period that discusses America's English Common Law roots and the colonies' attempts to deal with crime problems of that simpler time. Next, Friedman spans the period from the Revolution to the 19th Century, and the final section deals with our modern era. If you are a criminal justice practitioner, you will be able to trace the development of your particular branch over the last 200 years in an easily readable and interesting way. Friedman shows a sense of humor as well as scholarship in his writing style; when you aren't shaking your head in amazement, you may find yourself laughing.

Along this enjoyable journey through history, the author touches on all the subplots that help shape what he refers to as the "sacred duty of enforcing the law," which includes religion, war, morality, slavery and finance. Some of the ways we have defined bad behavior throughout the history of our country seem quaint (idleness, profanity and non-attendance at church were once considered crimes), and some of the sanctions seem horrifying by today's standards (punishment by branding, maiming and hanging by the thumbs). Other issues covered in the book are as new as tomorrow's headlines.

Parole practitioners will see the development of the nation's modern release system as well as its bonding and own-recognizance release methods. Law buffs will see the evolution of modern due process rights and the insanity defense as well as the numerous attempts at legislation dealing with habitual criminals. Police will be able to read about the development of their branch of the system, from the constable and night watchman to the issuance of the first uniforms to municipal police in 1856. Corrections professionals also will be able to follow the history of their field--from the Pennsylvania workhouse of 1620 to New Jersey's practice of housing four inmates to a 7- by 12-foot cell in 1867 to the leasing of inmates to private industry. In addition, the book explores the development and changes in the death penalty.

I borrowed my copy of Crime and Punishment in American History from the library and have renewed it several times, but now I feel the need to own a copy of this encyclopedic volume to use as a reference. If you have one book on your shelves about this business we are in, this should be it.

Reviewed by Steve Shapiro, case manager, London Correctional Institution, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.