New Faculty Books Focus on Community Justice, Jazz

An analysis of community justice and an overview of jazz history are presented by Skidmore faculty in two new books. Assistant Professor of Sociology David Karp is the co-editor of What is Community Justice: Case Studies of Restorative Justice and Community Supervision (Sage Publications, 2002); while Lewis Rosengarten, lecturer in Liberal Studies and academic advisor in the Higher Education Opportunity Program, has written Jazz in Short Measures (Authors Choice Press, 2001).

Karp and co-editor Todd Clear of the John Jay School of Criminal Justice use case studies to explain how community justice can be integrated into the community and in probation programs. Traditional models of probation and parole have become increasingly ineffective as the numbers of the formerly incarcerated rise. In an examination of six different model programs from around the country, the book presents a practical side of the community justice ideal.

Since 1997, Karp and Clear have studied community justice programs as a new approach to crime that explicitly includes the community in the criminal justice process. The approach emphasizes restoration, reintegration, and community participation. According to Karp, support for community justice has grown in response to the failures of the “get tough” era of criminal justice that has existed for the past 25 years or so. Although tougher laws were introduced and more prisons were built, criminal activity did not decline.

Through community policing programs that began with such small activities as neighborhood foot patrols, minor crime has declined. By dealing with minor crime -- things such as broken windows -- more serious criminal activity may have been avoided.

Karp pointed out that the issue is not one of a causal relationship, but more a matter of correlation. “Neighborhood disorder, and people’s fearful reactions to it, can lead to a disempowered community,” he said. “It's better to mobilize than to withdraw.” Community policing efforts take a proactive approach to solving problems and encourage partnerships among community members and organizations. Community justice includes a range of initiatives such as community policing, adjudication, and corrections.

What is Community Justice is Karp’s third book on this topic. His earlier books are Community Justice: An Emerging Field (1998, Rowman and Littlefield) and, with Clear, The Community Justice Ideal: Preventing Crime and Achieving Justice (1999, Westview). Karp teaches courses in criminology and criminal justice and is a member of the New York State Community Justice Forum.

Lewis Rosengarten’s book, Jazz in Short Measures, is structured as a series of 10 lectures, along with recommendations for videos, readings, Web sites, and CDs. He takes a multidimensional perspective that looks at the musical lives, struggles, and achievements of jazz musicians across a century of evolving styles and idioms.

The book represents the culmination of many years of research for Rosengarten. He was first introduced to jazz by his junior high school band teacher, who had been affiliated with The Tonight Show band when the program was broadcast from New York City.

Rosengarten especially enjoys teaching jazz as an LS course, because “jazz is appropriate from cultural, sociological, or historical perspectives. Jazz gives a particularly interesting snapshot of American history and culture.”

In teaching about jazz, Rosengarten stresses that students must be willing to both listen and to read. Toward that end, the selections he recommends in his book can help any reader build or enhance a listening library.

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