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Criminal Justice Today--Student Study Guide
In a substantially revised eighth edition, Criminal Justice Today continues to set the standard by which all other introductory criminal justice textbooks are measured. The hallmark features that have made Criminal Justice Today the most widely read college criminal justice textbook form the core of this new edition. They include: A thematic approach that contrasts the justice system's twin goals of ensuring public order and safety while guaranteeing individual rights. The book's theme, present since the first edition, is more relevant today and continues to significantly influence the direction of American society. Timely content, including current issues such as efforts to enhance homeland security, concerns about restrictions on individual freedoms in the face of terrorist threats, corporate crime, identity theft, high-technology crime, and special issues such as policing an ever-changing multicultural society. A futures orientation, including a special chapter on the future of criminal justice that points the way to and helps students appreciate the unchanging foundation upon which American criminal justice rests. simple to stay abreast of the latest news, research reports, and government-sponsored studies of relevance to the study of criminal justice. The eighth edition also brings exciting new features to Criminal Justice Today. Among them are: Expanded police coverage, including an entirely new chapter on police organization and management. The criminal justice system's response to terrorism, including broad coverage of homeland security issues, the impact of domestic and international terrorism on criminal justice practices and procedures, individual rights in the face of enhanced security; and terrorism prevention, response, and control. Detailed coverage of corporate crime, including possible criminal activities of companies such as Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia, Vivendi Universal, Kmart, Global Crossing, Tyco International, and London-based auction house Sotheby's. Crime mapping, predictive, and enforcement technologies, including CompStat and CopLink software, wearable augmented reality devices, and biometrics. with special graphics provided by the Massachusetts State Police.
246 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 7, 2019
This was a required textbook for my Introduction to Criminal Justice college course.
At over 690+ pages, it was rather enjoyable - for a textbook. I enjoyed how the front cover showed the progression from the police involvement, to the court procedures (both misdemeanors and felonies), to the final stages of corrections.
Since this was a subject I've been interested in my entire life, I perhaps enjoyed more so than the average person.
The book is divided into five parts:
#1.) Crime in America
#2.) Policing
#3.) Adjudication
#4.) Corrections
#5.) Special Issues
Starting with "Crime in America", the student is introduced to the history of crime in America, social justice, the system and functions, the process, due process and individual rights. Tee student also learns about the special categories of crime, the search for causes; as well as criminal law - the types, rules, and categories.
In the second part "Policing", the student learns the history and structure of law enforcement; purpose and organization; legal aspects; along with issues and challenges - such as corruption, dangers, use of force, profiling, bias, and civil liabilities.
Part three; "Adjudication"; covers the the court structure and participants, pre-trial activities and the trial, and sentencing. The student gets to know about the role of the courtroom work group, the stages of the trial, as well as sentencing.
Part Four - "Corrections" - covers the various areas comprising the corrections: probation, parole, community corrections, prisons and jails, as well as discovering prison life. The student also learns what the difference is in probation and parole, the role of the probation and parole officers, what intermediate sanctions are, the emergence of prisons, as well as the difference between jail and prison. The chapter on prison life delves into the differences between the male and female prison life, the staff, riots, prisoner rights, and issues that prisons face today.
The final part - "Special Issues" - covers topics that face today's society, particularly in a post 9/11 world. Juvenile justice, drugs and crime, terrorism and multinational criminal justice, and the future of criminal justice are all topics explored here.
The reader will learn about the history of juvenile justice, the legal environment, the process, and what juvenile offenders heading into adulthood face.
The chapter "Drugs and Crime" discusses the history of drug abuse, the common drugs, the types of people abusing/using them, the costs of abuse, as well as the problem of solving the issue.
Terrorism and Multinational Criminal Justice explores International Criminal Justice Organizations, globalization and crime, along with terrorism.
The book's final chapter - "The Future of Criminal Justice" explores more of the technical aspect of the subject - subjects such as biocrime, cybercrime, terrorism and technology, new technologies, along with technology and individual rights are explored.
As I said, since I enjoyed the subject, I find this book quite an invaluable reference for writing as well as understanding the criminal justice system. It isn't comprehensive by any means, but it provides enough for the student to research the topics of interest to them.
At over 690+ pages, it was rather enjoyable - for a textbook. I enjoyed how the front cover showed the progression from the police involvement, to the court procedures (both misdemeanors and felonies), to the final stages of corrections.
Since this was a subject I've been interested in my entire life, I perhaps enjoyed more so than the average person.
The book is divided into five parts:
#1.) Crime in America
#2.) Policing
#3.) Adjudication
#4.) Corrections
#5.) Special Issues
Starting with "Crime in America", the student is introduced to the history of crime in America, social justice, the system and functions, the process, due process and individual rights. Tee student also learns about the special categories of crime, the search for causes; as well as criminal law - the types, rules, and categories.
In the second part "Policing", the student learns the history and structure of law enforcement; purpose and organization; legal aspects; along with issues and challenges - such as corruption, dangers, use of force, profiling, bias, and civil liabilities.
Part three; "Adjudication"; covers the the court structure and participants, pre-trial activities and the trial, and sentencing. The student gets to know about the role of the courtroom work group, the stages of the trial, as well as sentencing.
Part Four - "Corrections" - covers the various areas comprising the corrections: probation, parole, community corrections, prisons and jails, as well as discovering prison life. The student also learns what the difference is in probation and parole, the role of the probation and parole officers, what intermediate sanctions are, the emergence of prisons, as well as the difference between jail and prison. The chapter on prison life delves into the differences between the male and female prison life, the staff, riots, prisoner rights, and issues that prisons face today.
The final part - "Special Issues" - covers topics that face today's society, particularly in a post 9/11 world. Juvenile justice, drugs and crime, terrorism and multinational criminal justice, and the future of criminal justice are all topics explored here.
The reader will learn about the history of juvenile justice, the legal environment, the process, and what juvenile offenders heading into adulthood face.
The chapter "Drugs and Crime" discusses the history of drug abuse, the common drugs, the types of people abusing/using them, the costs of abuse, as well as the problem of solving the issue.
Terrorism and Multinational Criminal Justice explores International Criminal Justice Organizations, globalization and crime, along with terrorism.
The book's final chapter - "The Future of Criminal Justice" explores more of the technical aspect of the subject - subjects such as biocrime, cybercrime, terrorism and technology, new technologies, along with technology and individual rights are explored.
As I said, since I enjoyed the subject, I find this book quite an invaluable reference for writing as well as understanding the criminal justice system. It isn't comprehensive by any means, but it provides enough for the student to research the topics of interest to them.
March 7, 2020
Good overview, plus additional detail, on criminal justice. However, some pretty obvious grammatical errors dropped it down for me.
January 24, 2022
Excellent
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2017
As a textbook it's pretty good, but the sheer number of typos and stray hyphens and other issues with punctuation are astounding. It's an ebook, for crying out loud, how have these not been fixed?
March 14, 2009
Not too bad, loaded with information.
April 2, 2016
The textbook is a great introductory read to graduate level courses in criminal justice.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews