In lucid and engaging prose, Michael Tonry reveals the historical foundation for the current state of the American criminal justice system, while simultaneously offering a game plan for long overdue reform.
Michael Tonry traces four decades of American sentencing policy and practice to illuminate the convoluted sentencing system, from early reforms in the mid-1970's to the transition towards harsher sentences in the mid-1980's. Combining a history of policy with an examination of current research findings regarding the consequences of the sentencing system, Sentencing Fragments calls attention to its devastatingly unjust effects on the lives of the poor and disadvantaged.
Sentencing Fragments appears as a much-needed dose of critical realism ... Michael Tonry addresses the issues with a clear-eyed expertise and proposes reforms that are to the point, principled and practical.
