NCJ Number
94218
Date Published
1982
Length
564 pages
Annotation
This textbook explains the basic processes and institutions that constitute the criminal justice system in the United States, with emphasis on the social and cultural factors that affect the system.
Abstract
The role of the social factors of race, class, age, and sex and the interactions of crime and criminal justice with such larger issues as racism, poverty, inequality, and sexism are delineated. An overview of the criminal justice process notes the potential gap between the way the process is supposed to work and the way it actually works. An examination of crime and the criminal law focuses on the types of crimes, official statistics on crime, social factors related to crime, and the historical development of criminal law. The police are discussed from the standpoints of the historical development of the police institution, the current nature of policing, current issues in policing, and explanations of police behavior. Additional sections explain the prosecution and sentencing of defendants, punishment and its relationship to social structure, treatment approaches, community-based corrections, and the juvenile justice system. Case examples for discussions, main terms and discussion questions for each chapter, suggested homework or class activities, data tables, photographs, a glossary, name and subject, indexes and over 500 references are included. Appendixes present the United States Constitution, sources of information on criminal justice careers, and a list of constitutional amendments related to criminal justice.