Let's Take Back Our Streets!

Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly During Greenbergs tenure as chief of police of Charleston S.C. crime has been reduced so sharply that residents jokingly call their city Saintsville. In this rousing call to action against crime written with a consulting editor of Guideposts the chief tells what moves he has made to take back the streets in his adopted city from criminals and what he thinks other law officers can do to accomplish the same. Greenberg disputes the contention that law-breakers are victims of circumstance; they commit crimes by choice he argues and ought to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. He also stresses that the function of punishment is indeed to punish. This is a book of tough talk from a police chief who firmly believes that we are all accountable for our actions and urges both police and citizens not to surrender to hopelessness about crime. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Library Journal The United States locks up a greater proportion of its citizens than any industrialized nation except the Soviet Union and South Africa. There are still those who call for more prisons and more punishment. The best of this "lock em up" genre are probably Ernest van den Haags Punishing Criminals ( LJ 2/1/76) and James Q. Wilsons Thinking About Crime (Random 1985. 2d ed.). The present work is much less sophisticated than these and relies heavily on anecdotes. The author Police Chief of Charleston S.C. explains the "get tough" tactics used in his city. More rigorous evaluation of his findings would be useful. If the chief should decide to run for elective office this book will help gain him the conservative vote. Serious students of law and order will learn more from van den Haag and Wilson. -John Broderick Stonehill Coll. North Easton Mass.