Criminal Justice: The Essentials

by Steven P. Lab, Marian R. Williams, Jefferson E. Holcomb

Criminal The Essentials is an innovative alternative to large, overwhelming texts that attempt to cover every conceivable issue, a goal that cannot realistically be accomplished in a single academic term. Ideal for introductory courses in criminal justice, this volume covers all the
fundamental issues faced by law enforcement, the courts, corrections, and juvenile justice, but leaves detailed specifics and tangential topics to the discretion of instructors to cover in class. This approach provides instructors with a great deal of flexibility in orienting their courses, as they
can use whatever supplementary materials they feel are most suitable. Each chapter covers the background, current issues and problems, and operational challenges of the subject area. All important materials are incorporated into the normal flow of the text, with abundant examples, but a minimum of
sidebars and "highlights." Therefore, students are not forced to sift through encyclopedic amounts of material in order to determine what is the most significant, since only the essentials are presented. Timely data and current examples sustain student interest. The text is also supplemented by a
Companion Website and an Instructor's Manual.

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2007

Reviews

[NCHS Library]

From Follett: Steven P. Lab (Ph.D., Criminology, Florida State University, 1982) has been a member of the Criminal Justice faculty at Bowling Green State University since 1987 and is currently Professor and Director of the Criminal Justice Program and Chair of the Department of Human Services. Dr. Lab is a nationally recognized expert in the area of crime prevention and is the author of Crime Prevention: Approaches, Practices and Evaluations, Fifth Edition. His research interests also include juvenile delinquency, school crime, and victims of crime. He is the author of over three dozen articles or book chapters and author or editor of 5 books. He has also served as editor of the Journal of Crime and Justice. Dr. Lab is a regular consultant for the National Institute of Justice on research and funding activities in the areas of crime prevention, community policing, school crime, gang behavior and interventions, and police partnerships to address crime. He is currently leading an effort to develop a 5-year strategic plan to direct NIJ funding in the area of crime prevention.

[Kai]

Fourth edition