ABSTRACT
Graduate students and would-be lawyers can become interested in the subject of criminal justice for a variety of reasons. Crime is fascinating human drama, and social deviance is an important window into the larger context of conformity with social norms. Law enforcement and punishment are interesting and complicated phenomena. But many of the students of my generation – yes, the1960s – became interested in the subject of criminal justice because they wished to accomplish reforms that would carry social importance. Criminal justice was a magnet for would-be social reformers. Is it still? Should it be? Why?
