NCJ Number
86744
Editor(s)
W T McGrath,
M P Mitchell
Date Published
1981
Length
285 pages
Annotation
Intended primarily as an aid for police training, this book discusses the role of the police in relation to other components of the criminal justice system, the police role in society, police discretion, and crime issues particularly troublesome for contemporary policing.
Abstract
Opening chapters emphasize the importance of a continuing review of laws and the criminal justice system to determine if the social control desired by the public is being realized within democratic and human rights principles. This is followed by a summary of the historic evolution of policing in Canada. The development of private security enterprises is considered in another essay, including the various powers of private security personnel and implications for citizen liberties. The discussion of the police role in society advises that rigid enforcement of the law is less effective in maintaining order than the rational use of discretion to solve problems and resolve conflicts with a minimum use of force and formal case processing. A series of chapters considers the role of the police in relation to the judiciary, the prosecutor, the defense counsel, and correctional services. One essay focuses on theories used to explain the causes of crime and factors affecting the amount of crime reflected in official statistics. White-collar crime, deemed to be a growing threat to businesses and consumers, is given a chapter as are the policing of minority groups, police youth units, and personality development and human relations. One chapter is devoted to discretionary decisionmaking at various stages of criminal justice processing, and another focuses on public attitudes toward the use of police discretion. The concluding chapter advises that issues likely to affect the future of policing in Canada are the demand for increased accountability in the public sector, the need to change organizational structures to reflect changed roles, and the countering of increased social unrest and criminal activity. Notes and suggested readings accompany most chapters, and a subject index is included. For individual entries, see NCJ 86745-59.