Arresting Citizenship: The Democratic Consequences of American Crime Control (Chicago Studies in American Politics)

The numbers are staggering: One-third of America’s adult population has passed through the criminal justice system and now has a criminal record. Many more were never convicted, but are nonetheless subject to surveillance by the state. Never before has the American government maintained so vast a network of institutions dedicated solely to the control and confinement of its citizens. A provocative assessment of the contemporary carceral state for American democracy, __Arresting Citizenship__ argues that the broad reach of the criminal justice system has fundamentally recast the relation between citizen and state, resulting in a sizable—and growing—group of second-class citizens. From police stops to court cases and incarceration, at each stage of the criminal justice system individuals belonging to this disempowered group come to experience a state-within-a-state that reflects few of the country’s core democratic values. Through scores of interviews, along with analyses of survey data, Amy E. Lerman and Vesla M. Weaver show how this contact with police, courts, and prisons decreases faith in the capacity of American political institutions to respond to citizens’ concerns and diminishes the sense of full and equal citizenship—even for those who have not been found guilty of any crime. The effects of this increasingly frequent contact with the criminal justice system are wide-ranging—and pernicious—and Lerman and Weaver go on to offer concrete proposals for reforms to reincorporate this large group of citizens as active participants in American civic and political life. "The numbers are staggering: One-third of America's adult population has passed through the criminal justice system and now has a criminal record. Many more were never convicted, but are nonetheless subject to surveillance by the state. Never before has the American government maintained so vast a network of institutions dedicated solely to the control and confinement of its citizens. A provocative assessment of the contemporary carceral state for American democracy, Arresting Citizenship argues that the broad reach of the criminal justice system has fundamentally recast the relation between citizen and state, resulting in a sizable--and growing--group of second-class citizens. From police stops to court cases and incarceration, at each stage of the criminal justice system individuals belonging to this disempowered group come to experience a state-within-a-state that reflects few of the country's core democratic values. Through scores of interviews, along with analyses of survey data, Amy E. Lerman and Vesla M. Weaver show how this contact with police, courts, and prisons decreases faith in the capacity of American political institutions to respond to citizens' concerns and diminishes the sense of full and equal citizenship--even for those who have not been found guilty of any crime. The effects of this increasingly frequent contact with the criminal justice system are wide-ranging--and pernicious--and Lerman and Weaver go on to offer concrete proposals for reforms to reincorporate this large group of citizens as active participants in American civic and political life."--Publisher's description One-third of America's adult population has passed through the criminal justice system and now has a criminal record. Many more have never been convicted, but are still subject to surveillance by the state. Never before has the government maintained so vast a network of institutions dedicated solely to the control and confinement of its citizens. A provocative assessment of the contemporary carceral state, Arresting Citizenship argues that the broad reach of the criminal justice system has recast the relation between citizen and state, resulting in a sizable - and growing-group of second-class citizens. From police stops to court cases and incarceration, at each stage of the criminal justice system, disempowered individuals belonging to this group experience a state-within-a-state that reflects few of the country's core democratic values. The authors show how this contact with police, courts, and prisons decreases faith in the capacity of American political institutions to respond to citizens' concerns and diminishes the sense of equal citizenship - even for those not found guilty of any crime. They go on to offer concrete proposals for reforms to reincorporate this large group of citizens as active participants in American political life Argues That The Broad Reach Of The Criminal Justice System Has Fundamentally Recast The Relation Between Citizen And State, Resulting In A Sizable--and Growing--group Of Second-class Citizens. Arresting Citizenship -- Thinking About Crime And The Custodial Citizen -- Democratic Ideals And Institutional Design -- Assessing The Effects Of Criminal Justice -- Democracy Don't Get You A Second Chance: (un)learning Citizenship -- You In Their House Now: Learning About The State And Control -- We're Free, But We're Not Free: Black Custodian Citizenship And Complex Racial Narratives -- I Better Stay Below The Radar: Fear, Alienation, And Withdrawal -- Where We Go From Here. Amy E. Lerman And Vesla M. Weaver. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 281-319) And Index. One-third of America's adult population has passed through the criminal justice system and now has a criminal record. An assessment of the contemporary carceral state, this book argues that the broad reach of the criminal justice system has recast the relation between citizen and state, resulting in a sizable group of second-class citizens.