"A More Complex Story, According to Criminologists"

"Some critics portray the law as a critical turning point as the country rushed to put more low-level offenders in prison, ravaging low-income communities.

"But in fact, the data shows, the startling rise in imprisonment was already well underway by 1994, with roots in a federal government war on drugs that was embraced by Democratic and Republican leaders alike."

In light of continuing controversy, Erick Eckholm in The New York Times looks at the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.