Knowledge as power
Subtitle: criminal registration and community notification laws in America
By: Wayne A. Logan.
Series: Critical perspectives on crime and law; Critical perspectives on crime and law
Publisher: Stanford Law Books
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Stanford, Calif
Language: eng
Number of pages: 288
ISBN-13: 9780804757102; 9780804761369
Subjects: Criminal records -- United States
Description: Societies have long sought security by identifying potentially dangerous individuals in their midst. America is no exception. This book traces the evolution of a modern technique - criminal registration laws. Registration, which originated in the 1930s as a means of monitoring gangsters, went largely unused for decades before experiencing a dramatic resurgence in the 1990s. Since then it has been complemented by community notification laws, which, like the 'Wanted' posters of the Frontier West, publicly disclose registrants' identifying information, involving entire communities in the criminal monitoring process.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Historic antecedents; title: Early era laws : 1930-1990; title: Modern era laws : 1990-today; title: Precipitating social and political conditions; title: Empirical effects and consequences; title: Influence on law, privacy, and governance; title: Prospects for the future.