NCJ Number
159683
Date Published
1996
Length
844 pages
Annotation
This textbook details the history and nature of criminal justice in society; the development of criminal law; the nature, extent, and measurement of crime; theories of criminal behavior and policies for its prevention and control; victim issues; and the history, operations, and policies of police systems, the courts, the correctional system, and the juvenile justice system in the United States.
Abstract
The text emphasizes the role of perceptions held by the public, victims, offenders, and criminal justice practitioners; the nature and impact of discretion in the criminal justice system; and the integration of criminological theory and policy. It also provides detailed discussions of explanations of victimization and the criminal justice response to victims, the increasing handling of juvenile offenders as adults, issues related to women and minorities as both victims and perpetrators, and career possibilities in criminal justice. Figures, photographs, lists of important terms, chapter summaries, discussion questions, suggestions for further reading, class activities, glossary, name and subject indexes, and annotated legal case index