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Roots of Justice - Crime and Punishment in Alameda County, California 1870-1910

NCJ Number
97287
Author(s)
L M Friedman; R V Percival
Date Published
1981
Length
347 pages
Annotation
Based on statistical analysis of documentary sources, newspaper accounts, and criminal casefiles, this volume describes the operations of the criminal justice system in Alameda County, Calif., and its main city, Oakland, between 1870 and 1910.
Abstract
The criminal process from arrest to trial, sentencing, and punishment is traced. Several systems of criminal justice are described, each with its own procedures and each having distinct functions. These systems include the police courts and the crude justice they provided, the more sophisticated treatment of felonies, and the use of full due-process protections at the trials of major cases. The maturing of the system is described, with emphasis on how reform efforts affected the system and on the widening of judicial discretion through the availability of probation, parole, and juvenile justice options. The functions of criminal justice in American society during the period are also explored. Footnotes, data tables, and an index are supplied.