The Culture of Public Problems

The Culture of Public Problems PDF

Author: Joseph R. Gusfield

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 1981

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13: 0226310949

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"Everyone knows 'drunk driving' is a 'serious' offense. And yet, everyone knows lots of 'drunk drivers' who don't get involved in accidents, don't get caught by the police, and manage to compensate adequately for their 'drunken disability.' Everyone also knows of 'drunk drivers' who have been arrested and gotten off easy. Gusfield's book dissects the conventional wisdom about 'drinking-driving' and examines the paradox of a 'serious' offense that is usually treated lightly by the judiciary and rarely carries social stigma."—Mac Marshall, Social Science and Medicine "A sophisticated and thoughtful critic. . . . Gusfield argues that the 'myth of the killer drunk' is a creation of the 'public culture of law.' . . . Through its dramatic development and condemnation of the anti-social character of the drinking-driver, the public law strengthens the illusion of moral consensus in American society and celebrates the virtues of a sober and orderly world."—James D. Orcutt, Sociology and Social Research "Joseph Gusfield denies neither the role of alcohol in highway accidents nor the need to do something about it. His point is that the research we conduct on drinking-driving and the laws we make to inhibit it tells us more about our moral order than about the effects of drinking-driving itself. Many will object to this conclusion, but none can ignore it. Indeed, the book will put many scientific and legal experts on the defensive as they face Gusfield's massive erudition, pointed analysis and criticism, and powerful argumentation. In The Culture of Public Problems, Gusfield presents the experts, and us, with a masterpiece of sociological reasoning."—Barry Schwartz, American Journal of Sociology This book is truly an outstanding achievement. . . . It is sociology of science, sociology of law, sociology of deviance, and sociology of knowledge. Sociologists generally should find the book of great theoretical interest, and it should stimulate personal reflection on their assumptions about science and the kind of consciousness it creates. They will also find that the book is a delight to read."—William B. Bankston, Social Forces

One for the Road

One for the Road PDF

Author: Barron H. Lerner

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2011-10-14

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 1421403498

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Don’t drink and drive. It's a deceptively simple rule, but one that is all too often ignored. And while efforts to eliminate drunk driving have been around as long as automobiles, every movement to keep drunks from driving has hit some alarming bumps in the road. Barron H. Lerner narrates the two strong—and vocal—sides to this debate in the United States: those who argue vehemently against drunk driving, and those who believe the problem is exaggerated and overregulated. A public health professor and historian of medicine, Lerner asks why these opposing views exist, examining drunk driving in the context of American beliefs about alcoholism, driving, individualism, and civil liberties. Angry and bereaved activist leaders and advocacy groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving campaign passionately for education and legislation, but even as people continue to be killed, many Americans remain unwilling to take stronger steps to address the problem. Lerner attributes this attitude to Americans’ love of drinking and love of driving, an inadequate public transportation system, the strength of the alcohol lobby, and the enduring backlash against Prohibition. The stories of people killed and maimed by drunk drivers are heartrending, and the country’s routine rejection of reasonable strategies for ending drunk driving is frustratingly inexplicable. This book is a fascinating study of the culture of drunk driving, grassroots and professional efforts to stop it, and a public that has consistently challenged and tested the limits of individual freedom. Why, despite decades and decades of warnings, do people still choose to drive while intoxicated? One for the Road provides crucial historical lessons for understanding the old epidemic of drunk driving and the new epidemic of distracted driving.

Social Control of the Drinking Driver

Social Control of the Drinking Driver PDF

Author: Michael D. Laurence

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 1988-02-29

Total Pages: 476

ISBN-13: 9780226469546

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Social Control of the Drinking Driver lays the groundwork for a much needed integration of methods, principles, and priorities. Law, criminology, biology, psychology, sociology, economics, public policy -- the disciplines concerned with the problem of drinking and driving are many and varied, and research crosses national boundaries as well. Drawing on fourteen specialists and surveying the situations in nine countries, this book presents a comprehensive statement of current knowledge about drunken driving and its control. - Back cover.

Notes From the Midnight Driver

Notes From the Midnight Driver PDF

Author: Jordan Sonnenblick

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Published: 2010-02-01

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0545231892

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Just when you thought you had it all figured out . . . "Alex Peter Gregory, you are a moron!" Laurie slammed her palms down on my desk and stomped her foot. I get a lot of that.One car crash.One measly little car crash. And suddenly, I'm some kind of convicted felon.My parents are getting divorced, my dad is shacking up with my third-grade teacher, I might be in love with a girl who could kill me with one finger, and now I'm sentenced to babysit some insane old guy.What else could possibly go wrong?This is the story of Alex Gregory, his guitar, his best gal pal Laurie, and the friendship of a lifetime that he never would have expected.

One for the Road

One for the Road PDF

Author: Barron H. Lerner

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2011-10-14

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 1421401908

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Introduction : what's the harm? -- The discovery of drunk driving -- Science and government enter the fray -- The MADD mothers take charge -- The movement matures and splinters -- Lamb, lightner, and libertarians : a backlash -- Conclusion: more (and more) stories.

California Drunk Driving Defense

California Drunk Driving Defense PDF

Author: Lawrence Taylor

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 1484

ISBN-13:

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"Providing step-by-step instruction in defense of a drunk driving case in California, California Drunk Driving Defense outlines what to anticipate and how to prepare for DUI/DWI pretrial and trial proceedings. The authors provide information on sentencing, license suspension, and revocation, as well as strategy guidance regarding: Field evidence and the arresting officer; What to expect and how to prepare for pretrial and trial proceedings; Methods to challenge the Intoxilyzer, Intoximeter, and blood and urine analyses; Tasks for cross-examination of the chemical expert and the arresting officer; Professional responsibility issues; Civilian witnesses; Substantive offenses; Giving compelling jury instructions; Suppression of evidence, and Successfully attacking prior convictions" -- http://legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/law-products/Treatises/California-Drunk-Driving-Defense-5th/p/104310653