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Justice Under Clinton

NCJ Number
169207
Journal
Social Justice Volume: 22 Issue: 2 Dated: (Summer 1995) Pages: complete issue
Editor(s)
R J Michalowski, R Kramer
Date Published
1995
Length
144 pages
Annotation
This review of justice policies under the Clinton administration is divided into three sections: "The Social Philosophy of Punishment," "Access and Openness," and "Crime and Justice."
Abstract
The first article distinguishes between the justice policies based in the "ethics of obligation" advocated by the Clinton administration and previous administrations and justice policies based in the "ethics of social relations." The latter policies would focus on reforming and building social and economic institutions that would foster social relations that condition positive behaviors toward one another and prevent crime. A second article assesses the significance of the current emphasis on boot camps. The author advises that the boot camp philosophy cannot show any significant positive behavior modification and is instead an affirmation of nostalgia that views discipline and obedience as a desirable social regime for eliminating crime. As such, boot camps do not reflect the future of penal philosophy. The first article under the section on "Access and Openness" considers the Clinton administration's policy toward the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). It concludes that the Clinton administration's official position on increasing access to government information is more supportive of the FOIA intent than the previous Republican administration; however, the Clinton administration has been inconsistent in practice. Another article in this section reviews the history that led to President Clinton's signing of the National Voter Registration Act in 1993. The three articles on "Crime and Justice" contrast the neoliberal rhetoric and the neoconservative legislative practice of the Clinton administration, the reasons for and adverse effects of the Clinton administration's continuation of the "War on Drugs," and fraud in emerging health-care systems. For individual articles, see NCJ- 169208-14. Article references and data tables