NEW YORK -- Debate about America's criminal justice system and how well it works has been reignited by recent incidents: the Cincinnati riots that followed a white police officer fatally shooting an unarmed black man; controversy over racial profiling by New Jersey state troopers; the scheduled sentencing in Florida of 14-year-old Nathaniel Brazill (tried as an adult for the shooting death of his teacher), and the recent execution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

To help citizens talk about these complex issues, the nonpartisan nonprofit Public Agenda in collaboration with the Kettering Foundation is publishing Crime and Punishment: Is Justice Being Served? This fact-filled guide, prepared for the National Issues Forums (NIF), highlights three alternative approaches for improving the justice system-each illustrated by recent news events and comments from experts. Crime and Punishment, loaded with vivid illustrations and dramatic real-life stories, challenges readers to weigh the pros and cons of different choices for addressing this emotional topic.

Almost every day, news of some sensational crime reminds Americans that violence is a stubborn, scary undercurrent in our society, says visiting Public Agenda author Chris Satullo, also noted Philadelphia Inquirer editorial page editor. Americans are deeply concerned about how the nation's criminal justice system works and want it to be fair, but many have not thought all that carefully about how to fix these problems.

Crime and Punishment offers readers a spectrum of reforms to consider:

• Approach One: Protecting Society through Tough EnforcementIn 1993, Richard Allen Davis, convicted of a string of armed robberies and abductions, was let out of prison and left to roam free in Petaluma, California, where he snatched and brutally murdered 12-year-old Polly Klaas. Davis remains alive on death row. Approach One has cases like Polly Klaas' in mind when it says punishments that are sure, swift, and severe are the most effective deterrents to crime. This approach recommends even tougher action, including building more prisons to ensure that dangerous criminals are separated from society; expanding mandatory sentencing laws, prosecuting juveniles as adults when they commit serious crimes, shortening the appeals process for death penalty cases, and adopting a victims' rights amendment.
• Approach Two: Using Our Crime-Fighting Tools More WiselyWere it not for an investigation by a Northwestern University journalism professor and his students, Anthony Porter of Chicago would have been executed in Illinois for a 1982 double murder he did not commit and the real killer would not have been found and sentenced to prison.This approach says the judicial system is sound in principle but flawed in practice and suggests that we can use our law enforcement resources more effectively by shifting our focus to repeat offenders and violent criminals. It recommends easing mandatory sentencing laws, hiring more police officers and providing them with the necessary equipment, and imposing a moratorium on capital punishment to ensure that sufficient safeguards are in place.
• Approach Three: Reclaiming Lives through Prevention and RehabilitationPerry Bernard was a convicted PCP dealer and user who turned his life around as part of a prison group-therapy experiment. He is now a married father of a 19-year-old son and an assistant director of an after-care program for released felons in Louisiana. Approach Three is based on the notion that people can reform if given a second chance. It recommends investing money in crime prevention, rehabilitation, and drug treatment, and making existing prisons more humane. Instead of putting 13- and 14-year-olds in jail, the approach suggests offering them the counseling and education they need, and it also recommends abolishing the death penalty in favor of life in prison without parole.

Crime and Punishment captures opposing perspectives with clarity and with a commendably dispassionate and fair portrayal of divergent viewpoints, says Dr. Jay S. Berman, Professor of Criminal Justice, New Jersey City University, one of a panel of experts who reviewed the manuscript in order to ensure accuracy and fairness. It provides an effective basis for deliberation by a community-based forum or interested students at the high school or college level.

Crime and Punishment is one of a series of guides produced by Public Agenda for the National Issues Forums, a grassroots network of organizations that have convened policy discussions for citizens nationwide for over a decade. Public Agenda Online (www.publicagenda.org) features an excerpt from Crime and Punishment. A related NIF issue guide, Violent Kids: Can We Change the Trend?, is also available in print from Public Agenda.

Public Agenda, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization, located in New York City, is well respected for its trustworthy public opinion polls and its balanced citizen education materials. Founded in 1975 by Cyrus R. Vance, the former U.S. Secretary of State, and Daniel Yankelovich, the social scientist and author, its mission is to inform leaders about the public's views and to inform citizens about government policy.

The Kettering Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute based in Dayton, Ohio (with offices in Washington, D.C., and New York), was founded in 1927. It has provided books, materials, and moderator training for the National Issues Forums since this nationwide network was started in 1982. It is engaged in a wide range of activities to promote civic participation and enrich public life.

Crime and Punishment: Is Justice Being Served? by Chris Satullo. Copyright 2001 by National Issues Forums Institute and Public Agenda. Produced by Public Agenda (www.publicagenda.org) and the Kettering Foundation (www.kettering.org) for National Issues Forums (www.nifi.org). ISBN 0-7872-7766-5 28 pp. Illustrated. $5.50, plus shipping, handling, and applicable sales tax. Bulk rates available.

To order, please call Public Agenda at 212-686-6610, ext. 45, fax 212-889-3461, email gwilliams@publicagenda.org, fill out our order form online at www.publicagenda.org, or order from Amazon.com