Concerning Crime And Criminal Justice

Over the past forty years, the criminal justice system in the United States has engaged in a very expensive policy failure, attempting to punish its way to public safety, with dismal results. So-called "tough on crime" policies have not only failed to effectively reduce crime, recidivism, and victimization but also created an incredibly inefficient system that routinely fails the public, taxpayers, crime victims, criminal offenders, their families, and their communities. Strategies that focus on behavior change are much more productive and cost effective for reducing crime than punishment, and in this book, William R. Kelly discusses the policy, process, and funding innovations and priorities that the United States needs to effectively reduce crime, recidivism, victimization, and cost. He recommends proactive, evidence-based interventions to address criminogenic behavior; collaborative decision making from a variety of professions and disciplines; and a focus on innovative alternatives to incarceration, such as problem-solving courts and probation. Students, professionals, and policy makers alike will find in this comprehensive text a bracing discussion of how our criminal justice system became broken and the best strategies by which to fix it.

"This book critically examines the media to identify how crime and criminal justice are treated in the news, entertainment, and infotainment media. The book sheds light on important realities of crime and criminal justice and corrects major misconceptions created by coverage of crime and criminal justice in the media."--

Crime and Justice: a Guide to Criminology has been for many years a leading Australian textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate students approaching this subject for the first time. The contributors are well known research active academics in Australia who contribute to the criminological debate at national and international level. Fully revised and updated, this 5th edition offers a comprehensive guide in criminal justice and criminology that is well suited to a dual-semester approach. It covers a wide range of topics including: different forms of crimes .. from street crime to state crime and international crimes; who commits crimes and who are the victims of crimes; and how society responds to crime. This book offers a balance between critical and administrative criminological traditions to add to the discourse of crime and justice in the twenty-first century.

This book provides students with a comprehensive and engaging introduction to the study of criminology by taking an interdisciplinary approach to explaining criminal behaviour and criminal justice. It is divided into two parts, which address the two essential bases that form the discipline of criminology. Part One describes, discusses and evaluates a range of theoretical approaches that have offered explanations for crime. Part Two offers an accessible but detailed review of the major philosophical aims and sociological theories of punishment, and examines the main areas of the contemporary criminal justice system.

Today’s headlines vividly illustrate the importance of understanding aspects of the criminal justice system too often ignored. While the second edition of Crime and Criminal Justice in American Society includes the most recent statistics on the police, courts, and corrections, its provocative, current examples also spur critical thinking about justice in the United States. The authors offer an alternative interpretation of criminal justice rarely presented in traditional textbooks or by the media. They encourage readers to examine their beliefs about crime, punishment, and the law. Discussions in the chapters about how African Americans, Hispanics, whites, women, juveniles, the rich, and the poor experience crime and the criminal justice system contribute context for understanding different viewpoints. The poor and minorities are the most likely to be caught in the net of criminal justice—but inequities have consequences for everyone. Reflection on various perspectives provides helpful input for assessing attitudes and for becoming actively involved with issues that have significant consequences. Eighteen thoroughly revised chapters present historical backgrounds, theories, and emerging issues. New to the second edition is a chapter on veterans involved in the criminal justice system. Affordable, succinct, and engaging, this textbook presents the key concepts of the criminal justice system at less than half the cost of many competing textbooks.

Crime and Criminal Justice: Concepts and Controversies (by Stacy L. Mallicoat) introduces students to the key concepts of the criminal justice system and invites them to explore emerging issues. Students will gain a balanced perspective of the criminal justice system through Current Controversy debates at the end of each chapter that motivate students to apply what they learned by critically analyzing and discussing the pros and cons of the issues presented. Examining important, but often overlooked, components, such as the role of victims and policy, Crime and Criminal Justice helps students develop a foundational understanding of the structures, agencies, and functions of the criminal justice system, as well as build the confidence and skills they need to effectively analyze current issues in criminal justice.

For thirty-five years, the Crime and Justice series has provided a platform for the work of sociologists, psychologists, criminal lawyers, justice scholars, and political scientists as it explores the full range of issues concerning crime, its causes, and it remedies. For the American criminal justice system, 1975 was a watershed year. Offender rehabilitation and individualized sentencing fell from favor and the partisan politics of “law and order” took over. Policymakers’ interest in science declined just as scientific work on crime, recidivism, and the justice system began to blossom. Some policy areas—in particular, sentencing, gun violence, drugs, and youth violence—became evidence-free zones. Crime and Justice in America: 1975-2025 tells the complicated relationship between policy and knowledge during this crucial time and charts prospects for the future. The contributors to this volume, the leading scholars in their fields, bring unsurpassed breadth and depth of knowledge to bear in answering these questions. They include Philip J. Cook, Francis T. Cullen, Jeffrey Fagan, David Farrington, Daniel S. Nagin, Peter Reuter, Lawrence W. Sherman, and Franklin E. Zimring.

Introduction to Criminal Justice is the perfect text for students who are interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice and for those who simply want to learn more about the criminal justice system. The authors' combined experience of more than 50 years in teaching introduction to criminal justice as well as working in the field -- Bohm as a correctional officer and Haley as a police officer -- come through in their accessible yet comprehensive presentation. They make it easy for readers to understand that much of what the public "knows" about criminal justice in the United States is myth, and help students learn the truth about the U.S. criminal justice system.

"The text is logically organized and easy to read and understand. Students will find the text intriguing as they move through the coverage of the controversies from the text."—Michelle L. Foster, Kent State University Updated with new content and current controversies that facilitate critical thinking, debate, and application of the concepts, Mallicoat’s Crime and Criminal Justice, Second Edition, provides accessible and concise coverage of all relevant aspects of the criminal justice system, as well as unique chapters on victims and criminal justice policy. Using an innovative format designed to increase student engagement and critical thinking, each chapter is followed by two Current Controversy debates that dive into a critical issue in criminal justice. These features challenge misconceptions by providing a balanced debate of both the pros and the cons of each issue and are followed by probing questions to help students think critically about timely topics. With contemporary examples that students can easily apply and a broad range of effective learning tools, this practical text helps students go beyond the surface toward a deeper understanding of the criminal justice system. This title is accompanied by a complete teaching and learning package.

In today's society, the public perception of crime has been skewed by how the media depicts it. People use the media for enjoyment, companionship, surveillance, and interpretation. The problem is that it becomes hard to separate fact from entertainment. This raises several questions. How are we consuming media? Are we consuming reality within the news? And are we consuming harmless pleasure from entertainment media? In Crime, Media, and Reality: Examining Mixed Messages about Crime and Justice in Popular Media, Venessa Garcia and Samantha Garcia Arkerson focus predominantly on the social constructions of crime and justice and how we absorb them. They look at the influence of crime news and true crime television series that prevent the public from understanding pure entertainment from the realities of crime and justice. They bring to light the social science knowledge missed by media "infotainment," which has blurred the line between information and entertainment. Throughout, all different forms of media are discussed, news media, crime dramas and true crime television series. In doing so, they keep all of its fascinating coverage while uncovering the reality of crime and justice. This book adds significant information to the constructs held by the general public by placing media depictions into historical, legal, and social context.