Rosemary Gartner

Murdering Holiness explores the story of the "HolyRoller" sect led by Franz Creffield in the early years of thetwentieth century. In the opening chapters, the authors introduce us tothe community of Corvallis, Oregon, where Creffield, a charismatic,self-styled messiah, taught his followers to forsake their families andworldly possessions and to seek salvation through him. As his teachingsbecame more extreme, the local community reacted: Creffield was tarredand feathered and his followers were incarcerated in the state asylum. Creffield himself was later imprisoned for adultery, but shortly afterhis release he revived the sect. This proved too much for some of theadherents' families, and in May 1906 George Mitchell, the brotherof two women in the sect, pursued Creffield to Seattle and shot himdead. The authors take us into the courtroom for the trial that madeheadlines across North America, as Mitchell was acquitted of murder. Though the formal plea was insanity, the defence built its case on the"unwritten law" that justified killing to protect or avengefamily honour. Based on court records and archival sources, this casestudy includes a detailed examination of the trial, the media'sresponse to it, and the dramatic aftermath, and sheds light on the riseof ardent religion in the Pacific Northwest, the justice system inSeattle, and the role of the press in influencing public opinion.

In recent decades, the nature of criminal punishment has undergone change in the United States. This case study of women serving time in California in the 1960s and 1990s examines key points in this recent history. The authors begin with a look at imprisonment at the California Institution for Women in the early 1960s, when the rehabilitative model dominated official discourse. They compare women’s experiences in the 1990s, at the California Institution for Women and the Valley State Prison, when the recent ‘get tough’ era was near its peak. Drawing on archival data, interviews, and surveys, their analysis considers the relationships among official philosophies and practices of imprisonment, women’s responses to the prison regime, and relations between women prisoners. The experiences of women prisoners reflected the transformations Americans have witnessed in punishment over recent decades, but they also mirrored the deprivations and restrictions of imprisonment.

In recent decades, the nature of criminal punishment has undergone change in the United States. This case study of women serving time in California in the 1960s and 1990s examines key points in this recent history. In this 2005 book, the authors begin with a look at imprisonment at the California Institution for Women in the early 1960s, when the rehabilitative model dominated official discourse. They compare women's experiences in the 1990s, at the California Institution for Women and the Valley State Prison, when the recent 'get tough' era was near its peak. Drawing on archival data, interviews, and surveys, their analysis considers the relationships among official philosophies and practices of imprisonment, women's responses to the prison regime, and relations between women prisoners. The experiences of women prisoners reflected the transformations Americans have witnessed in punishment over recent decades, but they also mirrored the deprivations and restrictions of imprisonment.

This prize-winning reference work provides data on crime in 110 nations and 44 major cities, making it possible for the first time to examine the patterns and causes of violent crime on a cross-national basis.“In this important book, Archer and Gartner take a major step toward providing and utilizing international data on crime and violence…. They have assembled the best cross-cultural database on criminal violence that has ever been compiled.” –Michael L. Radelet, Contemporary Sociology“[The authors’] data and superior analyses make their conclusions more compelling than earlier studies with like or contrary results. Furthermore, the data set seems rich enough to yield similarly enlightening findings for other researchers.” –Roy L. Austin, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science“Some highly significant data… [including] whether large cities have higher homicide rates than smaller cities; the deterrent effect of the death penalty on homicide rates; the etiology of urban violence.” –Choice“An amazing analysis of a most wonderful series of data. Rarely has social science been blessed by the richness of material over so much time and over so much space as are represented by this volume.” –Marvin E. Wolfgang, University of Pennsylvania