NCJ Number
93703
Date Published
1984
Length
616 pages
Annotation
This introduction to American criminal justice provides a survey of current practices in the criminal justice process, including the principal roles and functions of the system's four major components: legislative bodies, law enforcement agencies, criminal courts, and correctional agencies.
Abstract
A broad introduction to the administration of justice is followed by a discussion of the problem of crime and current explanations of criminality. The organization, roles, and issues in each of the components of the criminal justice process are explained. Additional discussions focus on the juvenile justice process, the criminal justice process in other countries, the problem of ethical conduct in administering justice, current trends in the philosophy and delivery of justice services, and the implication of these trends for the future of criminal justice in the United States. Findings of recent research, analysis of materials published by various justice agencies, and interviews with people both inside and outside the criminal justice system form the basis of the discussion. Figures, tables, footnotes, chapter discussion questions, a glossary, a list of court cases, subject and name indexes, and the text of the U.S. Constitution are included.