"Power, Politics, and Crime argues that the current panic over crime has been manufactured by the media, law enforcement bureaucracies, and the private prison industry. It shows how the definition of criminal behavior systematically singles out the inner-city African American."--BOOK JACKET.

"Through ethnographic observations, analysis of census data, and historical research, William J. Chambliss describes what is happening, why it has come about, and what can be done about it. He explores the genesis of crime as a political issue, and the effect that crime policies have had on different segments of the population.

The book is more than a statement about the politics of crime and punishment - it's a powerful indictment of contemporary law enforcement practices in the United States."--BOOK JACKET.