NCJ Number
160206
Editor(s)
B W Hancock,
P M Sharp
Date Published
1996
Length
447 pages
Annotation
Thirty articles compose an anthology of primary source materials that address the major components of the justice system in America: criminal justice in general, law enforcement, courts, corrections, juvenile justice, and current issues and policy.
Abstract
Part One, which addresses criminal justice in America, presents five articles that provide an overview of criminal justice and discuss some of the more controversial issues in the field. Among the issues discussed are the crime victims movement, factors that affect property offenders' decision to commit a crime, racism in the criminal justice system, and a Federal perspective on crime in the 1990's. Part Two, which focuses on law enforcement, discusses the challenges, issues, and personal struggles of policing agencies and personnel. Beginning with a brief history of police in America, chapters address police stress, personality, and community policing. The future of law enforcement is discussed, including its use of computerized systems and other technologies. Part Three, which considers the courts, contains five chapters that deal with various aspects of the judiciary system in the United States. Issues such as the effectiveness of the courts in the priority prosecution of recidivists are addressed. Also discussed are judicial structure and procedural mechanisms important to understanding the workings of the courts. Chapters in Part Four pertain to corrections. All five chapters focus on imprisonment policies and their effectiveness. The five chapters in Part Five examine the role of the juvenile justice system, and Part Six discusses ideas related to public policy concerns about crime and criminal justice. For individual chapters, see NCJ-160207-35. Chapter references, discussion question, and suggested student applications of the material in each chapter