Asphalt Justice ― A Critique of the Criminal Justice System in America

The current emphasis on "get tough" approaches to crime has had and will continue to have a disastrous impact on society as a whole. Cook, who has worked extensively in various capacities throughout the criminal justice system, argues that the failure to encourage treatment and rehabilitation is extremely shortsighted and serves only to postpone societal ills. He examines the prison experience as a psychological experience and suggests that restructuring the prison environment to focus on changing the behavior of criminals will ultimately be more cost effective and more beneficial to society. Approaching the problem of crime in a coordinated and systematic way will produce more results than the current reliance on political posturing and media sound bites.

JOHN RAYMOND COOK is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Mars Hill College in North Carolina.