Nancy E. Marion is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Akron, USA, and holds degrees in criminal justice and political science.

Introduction
Federal Involvement in Criminal Justice Prior to the Johnson Administration
The Johnson Administration: A Continuation and Expansion of Activities from the Kennedy Years
The Nixon Administration: A Shift in Federal Crime Control Policy
The Ford Administration: A Continuation of Nixon, with Some Variations
The Carter Administration: A Temporary Lull in Federal Criminal Justice Policy
The Reagan Administration: A Return to "Law and Order"
The Bush Administration: A Continuation of Reagan's Administration
Conclusion: President Clinton and the Future of Federal Crime Control Policy
Appendices
Bibliography
Index

This history of American crime policy at the federal level compiles and examines for the first time the record of recent presidential administrations in the area of crime control--their agendas and the legislation actually enacted by the Congress. Nancy Marion analyzes the relationship between politics and criminal justice and concludes, after reviewing the administrations of Kennedy through Clinton, that the federal response to crime has been largely symbolic, and that federal policies tend to have provided political benefit to elected officials while not actually reducing crime by any significant amount. This study and its findings will be of interest to scholars in political science, government, criminology, and criminal justice.