NCJ Number
195322
Date Published
1999
Length
813 pages
Annotation
This textbook is an introduction to the various aspects of the criminal justice system.
Abstract
This textbook provides an overview of the criminal justice system for the new student. It is divided into five sections, each dealing with a different aspect of the criminal justice system. Section one discusses crime in America and includes discussions of the practice of criminal justice. In this section, the author examines the topics of racism in the criminal justice system and the rights of individuals versus the group interests. Section one also provides a discussion of criminological theories of crime, as well as an overview of the extent and etiology of crime in the United States. The final chapter in section one provides an overview of American criminal law. This chapter reviews the development of law in this country and then delves into specific aspects of criminal law, offering numerous examples such as how the law responds to environmental crimes as well as crimes against abortion clinics. Section two offers three chapters that review policing practices and issues. This section includes a discussion of the history and structure of policing, as well as police management and the legal aspects of policing, such as the abuse of police power and the rights of criminal suspects. Second three discusses adjudication and contains three chapters on the court system, the courtroom work group and the criminal trial, and sentencing issues. This section provides a history of the court system in America and then goes on to examine the roles of the judge, the district attorneys, and the defense counsel. In the chapter on sentencing, the author offers the philosophies behind the various types of criminal sentencing, such as retribution, deterrence, and rehabilitation. Included in this chapter is a discussion of the controversial three strikes and you are out law. Section four informs the reader about the correctional system and includes discussions about probation, parole, and community corrections. Two chapters are also offered about prisons, jails, and what prison life entails. Finally, section five covers "special issues." Some of the issues under consideration in this section include juvenile delinquency, how drugs affect the crime rate, multinational criminal justice, and the future of criminal justice. Figures, charts, notes, glossary, and index