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Zusatztext His latest book shows a grasp of the political and legal dynamics of another country which has astonished even Americans, and his care for detail adds to its interest./ Prof. Nigel Walker, Institute of Criminology, Cambridge / New Law Journal, 26/02 /99 Lord Windlesham is Principal of Brasenose College at Oxford University and national President of Victim Support in the United Kingdom. He was Chairman of the Parole Board for England and Wales in the 1980s, and before that served in government as a Minister at the Home Office and the Northern Ireland Office. Among other books, his published work includes the three-volume Responses to Crime (Oxford University Press, 1987-96). Lord Windlesham was the Weinberg/Goldman Sachs Visiting Professor at Princeton University in 1997. Klappentext The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 was arguably the most important legislative achievement of President Clinton's first term. In this detailed account! Lord Windlesham! a prominent legal scholar! British legislator! and Oxford College Principal! brings his experience tobear in analyzing the forces inside and outside the 103rd Congress! which shaped the final content of the Act. Controversial issues discussed include racial justice! "three strikes and you're out" and mandatory sentencing! the Brady Act and the assault weapons ban! the competing claims of prisonbuilding and prevention programs! drug policies! and restrictions on repeat sex offenders after release from prison. The narrative of Politics! Punishment! and Populism continues with the "Contract with America" and the crime policies adopted after the Republicans won control of both the House and Senate in the elections for the 104th Congress. The external pressures! and the Congressional tactics deployed tofacilitate passage of such measures as the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act! Megan's Law! and the Prison Litigation Reform Act! are examined in the second part of the book. Subsequent challenges in the courts are also reviewed! including some cases decided by the Supreme Court at theend of its 1996-97 term. The focal point throughout is the impact of populist opinion! as well as that of special-interest groups! upon elected representatives in the formation of public policy. The role of one of the most politically potent of all lobbies! the National Rifle Association! is assessed in the context of thecompetition it faces from an increasingly activist gun controlmovement. The book concludes by asking whether an end is in sight regarding America's isolated tolerance of lethal weapons. Zusammenfassung Former minister and current British government legislator Lord Windlesham examines the American federal crime-control laws that surfaced before and after the 1994 "Republican Revolution" in Congress. He focuses on the pressure populist opinion and special interests exert on shaping crime policy....
