NCJ Number
175954
Date Published
1997
Length
279 pages
Annotation
This book examines key players in Australia's criminal justice system, responses of government agencies and social institutions to offensive behavior, strengths and weaknesses of existing forms and methods of crime control, and the development of general criminal justice theories and practices over time.
Abstract
The book recognizes that crime and offending behavior are major issues in contemporary society and that ways in which society responds to crime are the subject of constant public debate. Five broad areas of topical concern and interest are considered: (1) policing--roles, techniques, methods, culture, and accountability; (2) courts and sentencing--structure, due process, key personnel, and access to justice; (3) punishment and corrections--history of punishment, theories, penalties, and prisons; (4) diversion and community-based schemes--mediation, family group conferences, and situational crime prevention; and (5) victim services--victim role in the judicial process, social construction, and victimology. An overview of the people and issues associated with each specific form of intervention and practice is presented, and descriptions of actual processes and agencies are placed in the context of particular criminological perspectives and critiques. The book aims to expose the politics of social control as it relates to both formal criminal justice institutions and community-based institutions and agencies. References, tables, and figures