New Barkan Book Details Myths, Realities of Crime and Justice
Contact: Steve Barkan, (207) 581-2383; George Manlove, (207) 581-3756
ORONO, Maine — On almost every television detective show on any given night of the week, it seems to take the police just a matter of hours to solve the crime and nab the criminal. If only that were true in real life.
Such wishful outcomes are not the reality that police, prosecutors and crime victims experience. In fact, only 10 percent of all street crimes and only about 40 percent of all serious violent crimes result in an arrest, according to two sociologists, one from the University of Maine, who just released a book on the subject.
Myths and Realities of Crime and Justice: What Every American Should Know
attempts to not only set the record straight, but give the public a sober but insightful look at how crime and punishment really works in the United States.
“It’s kind of a summary of why crime happens and how the criminal justice system works,” says Steve Barkan, UMaine professor of sociology and coauthor of the book with Georg Bryjak, former professor of sociology at the University of San Diego.
The book will appeal to “anyone who is interested in any of these things, which should include just about everyone in the country,” Barkan says.
Given America’s fascination with crime, criminals and criminal justice, Barkan expects the book will be popular with the general public. The book should be “required reading” for law enforcement personnel, state lawmakers and reporters who cover crime, courts and criminal justice, he suggests. It offers statistical information about crime, dispels some of the myths fomented by the popular media, and in 14 chapters provides a comprehensive exploration of crime statistics, criminals, police, courts and punishment.
“This short, readily accessible book discusses what crime is all about and how the criminal justice system really works, as opposed to how it is supposed to work,” Barkan says.
The final chapter in the book specifically addresses solutions to some of the flaws in the criminal justice system and common-sense ways average citizens can reduce the chances of becoming victims of crime and, also, how parents can lessen the chances their children will wind up on the wrong side of the law.
Information about Myths and Realities of Crime and Justice: What Every American Should Know is available by contacting Jones & Bartlett Publishers (www.jbpub.com/criminaljustice) in Sudbury, Mass. (978-443-5000) or by contacting Barkan at (207) 581-2383. The book is also available on Amazon and other electronic sellers.