"In the 1950s the American Bar Foundation conducted a pilot survey of the processing of offenders from arrest to prison—to observe what actually happened at each decision point, instead of assuming that doctrinal legal analyses were sufficient. This book consists of original, authoritative, and well written essays by leading scholars in law and criminal justice, who worked on the ABF project. All, including the editors, are among the most eminent figures in criminal law and procedures, criminal justice, and the law and society movement. Each contributor provides a wealth of insights and information regarding the famous pre-ABF crime surveys, the ABF studies themselves, and post-ABF research." — Austin Turk, University of California-Riverside"It is a fascinating retrospective account of the research done decades ago by the American Bar Foundation's Survey of Criminal Justice. Many of the chief participants in that multi-volume Survey write here about the consequences of the earlier research for subsequent scholarship, teaching, and policy. In so doing, they elucidate a crucial problem of the criminal justice system: how to decide when discretion is needed and when it must be constrained if the system is to enhance efficiency and avoid injustice."— Richard D. Schwartz, Syracuse University College of Law