ABSTRACT
Joan Petersilia's optimistic assessment of the justice system's response to violent crime and violent criminals is apposite. Violence control strategies at the individual level are essentially the same for rich and poor and for different racial and ethnic groups. Some success has been demonstrated in the control of violent individuals by administration of a variety of pharmaceuticals. National data reflect similar trends in both incarceration and in violent crimes. Two National Research Council panels have examined trends in incarceration and their effects. The 1993 report notes the tripling of the US prison inmate population between 1975 and 1989, during which period reported annual violent crime levels varied little. Race and ethnicity present continuing challenges to ideals and the ideologies of all liberal democracies, including the United States. Historically, rates of violent crime and other forms of street crimes have declined among most ethnic and racial groupings that have come to these shores.
