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FindArticles > American Prospect, The > August, 2001 > Article > Print friendly

Criminally Unjust.(concerns about law enforcement, criminal justice)

KAMINER, WENDY

IT'S NO COINCIDENCE THAT DEclining support for capital punishment has been accompanied by increased mistrust of law enforcement and discomfort with the war on drugs. A relative lull in violent crime during the 1990s contributed to a reconsideration of harsh police practices and prosecutorial tactics. But many people are willing to tolerate bad policing so long as it's directed at bad guys. Few complain when guilty suspects are deprived of their rights and coerced confessions prove true. It's the abuse of innocent people or those guilty only of minor, nonviolent offenses that has ...