Victims in the war on crime : the use and abuse of victims' rights /

Dubber (law, State Univ. of New York, Buffalo) has written a long overdue and groundbreaking analysis of the use and abuse of victims' rights to further the aims of a police state. Well written, albeit often using cutting satire that may pass over the heads of those who would most benefit from the extensive legal documentation and insightful commentary in part 1, "The War on Victimless Crime," Dubber successfully critiques federal and state administrative (prosecutorial) misuse of the War on Crime, namely through possession and nuisance control offenses under the guise of convenience and flexibility and the consequent erosion of due process and other constitutional rights. Part 2, "Vindicating Victims' Rights," moves toward constructing a law of victimology but suffers from an incomplete review of victim restitution programs, in particular, restorative or peace-making approaches. Also, the victim data needs to be updated to include the recent research findings on American Indian victimization. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All public and university libraries, upper-division undergraduate and above. K. Baird-Olson California State University--Northridge