To Serve and Protect

To Serve and Protect examines the private sector's historical and potential future role in law enforcement and security services. The book analyzes how market forces can effectively provide protection of rights and property through private police, courts, and corrections systems. Benson presents evidence from various time periods and societies where private institutions handled law enforcement functions. He documents current examples of private security and dispute resolution, from shopping mall security to private arbitration services. The book challenges conventional assumptions about the necessity of government monopolies over law enforcement and criminal justice. Through economic analysis and historical research, Benson argues that private sector alternatives can often deliver more effective and efficient protection services than state institutions. The work contributes to debates about privatization, regulation, and the proper balance between public and private provision of essential services. It raises fundamental questions about the nature of law enforcement and the relationship between citizens and protective institutions.

Readers view this book as a thorough examination of private alternatives to government police and courts. Readers appreciated: - Depth of historical research on private law enforcement - Clear explanations of how private security and arbitration could work - Real-world examples and case studies - Logical arguments backed by data - Coverage of both theoretical and practical aspects Common criticisms: - Academic writing style can be dry - Some sections are overly detailed and technical - Limited discussion of potential downsides to privatization - Repetitive in certain chapters Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (16 ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (5 ratings) Sample reader comment: "Benson makes a compelling case that private institutions can handle law enforcement more effectively than government, though the writing is sometimes dense" - Goodreads reviewer Note: Limited number of online reviews available for this academic text.

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🔹 The book challenges traditional views by showing how private security and dispute resolution systems were historically more prevalent and effective than many people realize, citing examples from medieval Iceland to the American West. 🔹 Author Bruce Benson is a Professor Emeritus of Economics at Florida State University who has written extensively about law and economics, with particular expertise in the evolution of legal institutions. 🔹 The book demonstrates that in 1990, private security officers in the United States outnumbered public police officers by a ratio of more than 2.5 to 1. 🔹 One of the key examples examined in the book is the merchant law system (Lex Mercatoria) that developed in medieval Europe without government involvement, showing how private commercial law emerged organically. 🔹 The research presented in the book suggests that private security firms often have stronger incentives to prevent crime rather than just respond to it, as their contracts and continued business depend on successful prevention.