Detailed item info Synopsis In this broad consideration of American criminal justice today, Allen suggests that the way to a more effective penal policy can be found in a closer adherence to the law rather than in the current tendency to bypass certain laws in the name of the "war on crime"., The Habits of Legality provides a broad survey of American criminal justice in a time of troubles. It asks the central questions: In what degree are the justice system's functions guided by ascertainable legal norms? How accountable are public officials who wield the rigorous sanctions of the penal law? Where the habits of legality are weak, how can they be invigorated? A number of factors combine to constrict the rule of law in the criminal process. A crime epidemic of alarming proportions places enormous burdens on the system and gives rise to a "war on crime" that often oversteps the limits of legality. The institutional structure of the United States is severely fragmented, rendering coherent penal policy difficult or impossible and often freeing public officials of accountability for their uses of public authority. Even the courts and legislatures, the primary law-making agencies of society, often operate to weaken rather than strengthen the rule of law. Francis A.Allen asserts the vital and continuing importance of the legality principle to democratic societies, discusses how the habits of legality in American criminal justice can be strengthened, and demonstrates that a closer adherence to the rule of law may not only protect the rights of persons more efficiently, but also contribute to more rational and effective penal policy. The Habits of Legality offers solutions on how to revitalize the rule of law. It will be of interest to scholars and studentsof criminology and law, as well as the general reader concerned with issues of criminal justice., This work provides a broad summary of American criminal justice in a time of great concern about solutions to the current crime epidemic. Allen suggests that the way to a more effective penal policy can be found by a closer adherence to the law rather than the current trend to bypass certain laws in the name of the war on crime. Product Identifiers ISBN-10 0195100883 ISBN-13 9780195100884 Key Details Author Francis A. Allen Number Of Pages 168 pages Series Studies in Crime and Public Policy Format Hardcover Publication Date 1996-03-21 Language English Publisher Oxford University Press, Incorporated Publication Year 1996 Additional Details Copyright Date 1996 Illustrated Yes Dimensions Weight 16.6 Oz Height 0.7 In. Width 6.4 In. Length 9.6 In. Target Audience Group College Audience Classification Method LCCN 95-015079 LC Classification Number KF9223.A934 1996 Dewey Decimal 345.73/05 347.3055 Dewey Edition 20 Reviews