New Deal Law and Order: How the War on Crime Built the Modern Liberal State

New Deal Law and Order: How the War on Crime Built the Modern Liberal State by Anthony Gregory

Crime was really bad in the United States before World War II. Kidnappings, shoot outs and other incidents were common. Part of the New Deal helped encourage law and order. Policies could be somewhat contradictory and reflected the interests of those in charge. Alcohol was legalized to reduce crime. Marijuana was criminalized to reduce crime. Kidnapping penalties were increased. White collar crime was also attacked. Crime fighting also had to deal with political coalitions. Blacks wanted lynching to stop, while white southerners wanted to continue to lynch. The FBI and national crime fighting grew in importance, while states still maintained their jurisdictions. The book covered a lot of crime fighting, but struggled to have a common thesis.