ABSTRACT
The Progressive Era was distinguished by sweeping policy changes that are still a part of twenty-first-century social welfare and criminal justice systems. A major thrust of this movement was defining a new role for government in public and private affairs. The call for government engagement in the lives of citizens and corporate matters was based on the idea that government should be responsive to and responsible for the national quality of life. The need to expand the role of government was especially prompted by the new challenges of unchecked industrialization, urbanization, and immigration. American cities were increasingly afflicted with poverty, disease, over crowded slums, and crime—the magnitude of which demanded government intervention. Family, friends, and small charitable organizations were ill equipped to handle these problems that were occurring on such a massive scale.
