Pamala L. Griset is Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services in Albany.

This book discusses in depth the rise and fall of the determinate ideal, once heralded as a replacement to the old order of criminal justice. Using new materials and combining political, empirical, and theoretical perspectives, Griset examines the attempt in New York State to establish determinate sentencing -- "punishment for its own sake" -- to replace the existing policy of rehabilitation. In portraying New York's experience against the backdrop of a national reform agenda, she analyzes the development and ultimate failure of a major social movement.