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Patrick Sharkey is professor and chair of the Department of Sociology at New York University. He is also the scientific director of Crime Lab New York, an independent organization dedicated to applying new methods for addressing crime, violence, and poverty.

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pollycallahan | 1 andere bespreking | Jul 1, 2023 |
To be very honest, I've read a lot of sociologists' takes on American crime in the last decade, and this one went quickly but just didn't stand out in any way. Moving beyond the downward trend of reported crime rates and greater perceptions of safety* into the changes that criminal justice systems do (or don't) undertake as a result is what I was really looking for, and he didn't go there.

*Subjective term, no doubt. The book at least recognizes that.
 
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jonerthon | 1 andere bespreking | Jun 5, 2020 |
I won an advanced copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

Rating: Three stars (Good)

Review: The rise and fall of crime in America during the second half of the 20th century has always fascinated me. Most books I've read have been more interested in what caused crime to decline in the 1990s than what caused it to rise from the 1960s-1980s, so I was particularly excited to read this book.

On the whole, Sharkey delivers. The main thrust of the book is that the crime rate declines when law enforcement and community members come together to guard public spaces and ensure that people can transverse public spaces without fear. He argues that the federal government responded to the crime wave with a strategy of "punishment and abandonment," and that while increased law enforcement presence in unsafe neighborhoods unquestionably made them safer, we must invest significant resources in impoverished neighborhoods if we hope to achieve peace and prosperity long-term. I found his arguments persuasive because Sharkey is a thorough guy. He never throws out a theory as stupid or expects the reader to take him at face value because he's an expert. He takes pains to walk the reader through his analysis and to use clear, accessible language.

Sharkey's thoroughness is as much a strength as a weakness. He labors his points and cites study after study. About halfway through the book, I found myself skipping his descriptions of the studies and methodologies to get to the conclusion. There's a saying in non-fiction publishing, "is this an article or is this a book?"; at times I felt like Sharkey was using studies as filler to stretch a paper or article into a book. This may have been due to my own familiarity with the topic; other readers who haven't encountered these studies may find them more compelling.

Bottom line: Uneasy Peace can be plodding at times and sags in the middle, but it's worth reading for its thoughtful, thorough analysis; its clear, accessible style; and Sharkey's refreshing nonpartisan approach as seen in his willingness to take on all theories and ideas.

Who Should Read: students and academics; people who love a good white paper; if you want to get into the weeds of sociological studies of urban spaces
… (meer)
 
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aechipkin | 1 andere bespreking | Jun 27, 2018 |

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105
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9

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