August 10, 1931
The Wickersham Commission, appointed by President Herbert Hoover, was the first federal study of the American criminal justice system. It published 14 volumes on different aspects of crime and criminal justice. The most famous report was “Lawlessness in Law Enforcement,” issued on this day. It created a sensation as a blistering account of police abuse of citizens, including widespread physical brutality, prolonged detention, and coercion of confessions.
