Criminal Justice Overview: Books

This book offers students a unique opportunity to examine strong yet very readable competing views on twenty of the major issues in contemporary criminal justice. It features the works of major writers in the discipline and explores the ideas, orientations and arguments driving the field. Each essay quickly draws readers into the debate using accompanying questions and encourages readers to assess arguments and determine their own conclusions. Where to Find More sections highlight additional resources that can be used to explore each issue in more detail. For anyone interested in the criminal justice system

The Black Lives Matter movement has shined a light on the frequently unequal treatment of African Americans by the U.S. justice system. This has led to some adverse reactions, including the protest slogans All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. The viewpoints in this volume examine the truths regarding the justice system and people of color in the United States. Do the police have a problem when it comes to racial discrimination? Is the court system biased against people of color? Can gang violence be curbed without racial profiling? Experts from the field offer very different perspectives on this important topic.

'Is it fair for a judge to increase a defendant's prison time on the basis of an algorithmic score that predicts the likelihood that he will commit future crimes? Many states now say yes, even when the algorithms they use for this purpose have a high error rate, a secret design, and a demonstratable racial bias. The former federal judge Katherine Forrest, in her short but incisive When Machines Can Be Judge, Jury, and Executioner, says this is both unfair and irrational ...' See full reviewJed S RakoffUnited States District Judge for the Southern District of New YorkNew York Review of Books This book explores justice in the age of artificial intelligence. It argues that current AI tools used in connection with liberty decisions are based on utilitarian frameworks of justice and inconsistent with individual fairness reflected in the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence. It uses AI risk assessment tools and lethal autonomous weapons as examples of how AI influences liberty decisions. The algorithmic design of AI risk assessment tools can and does embed human biases. Designers and users of these AI tools have allowed some degree of compromise to exist between accuracy and individual fairness.Written by a former federal judge who lectures widely and frequently on AI and the justice system, this book is the first comprehensive presentation of the theoretical framework of AI tools in the criminal justice system and lethal autonomous weapons utilized in decision-making. The book then provides a comprehensive explanation as to why, tracing the evolution of the debate regarding racial and other biases embedded in such tools. No other book delves as comprehensively into the theory and practice of AI risk assessment tools.

An essential work that advances an acute awareness of our responsibility to make society equitable for all. Library Journal, Starred Review In this provocative book, the authors connect the regulation of African American people in many settings into a powerful narrative. Completely updated throughout, the book now includes a new chapter on policing black athletes' bodies, and expanded coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement, policing trans bodies, and policing Black women's bodies.

For Introduction to Forensic Science courses offered by Forensic Science or Criminal Justice programs. Written by a renowned authority on forensic science, this text introduces the non-scientific student to the field of forensic science through an exploration of its applications to criminal investigations, and clear explanations of the techniques, abilities and limitations of the modern crime laboratory.

In recent years, new forensic methods have revolutionized crime scene investigations so that a single piece of evidence can often determine an individual's guilt or innocence. Tests involving fingerprinting, polygraphs, ballistics, toxicology, voice analysis, DNA typing, and other techniques can be combined or used independently to provide information about a crime. While some procedures produce results that are highly valid and reliable, others yield conclusions that may be uncertain or legally useless. ""DNA Evidence and Forensic Science"" explores the history of this fascinating topic and the opinions surrounding it, from the early use of fingerprinting to identify civil servants to the latest advances in DNA typing in criminal investigations. Documents such as the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 and contemporary case studies such as Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals provide multiple perspectives and decisions surrounding this important issue. This invaluable volume features a comprehensive and up-to-date overview essay, capsule biographies, a large annotated bibliography, a chronology of significant events, organization and agency listings, and a glossary to help readers explore the controversy surrounding the issue of DNA evidence and forensic science. Coverage includes: the type of forensic evidence that should be permitted during legal proceedings; whether or not law enforcement should collect DNA samples from suspects during criminal investigations; and, whether or not the federal government should create a national ballistics database and more.

Gathering the core topics of forensic science into one comprehensive volume and providing an overview of each, ""Encyclopedia of Forensic Science, Revised Edition"" is a revised and expanded version of the award-winning original with approximately 650 entries, more than 80 new to this edition. More than 12 essays are interspersed throughout this reliable A-to-Z reference, describing how forensic science relates to areas such as drug testing in sports, privacy concerns, misconceptions about forensic science, and the interface of forensic engineering and forensic science. The encyclopedia is richly illustrated with more than 200 black-and-white photographs and illustrations, plus a full-color insert containing photographs with depictions of firearms, tool marks, and DNA analysis. Most of the photographs were supplied by working forensic scientists in many different organizations.With updated appendixes aiding further research, this essential revised edition will remain the ultimate primer in the subject of forensic science for high school and college students alike. New and revised entries include: Accidental characteristics; Airplane crashes; Alchemy; Anthropology, forensic; Birch Method; Bloodstain patterns; Robert Boyle; Color and colorants; Crime labs (forensic labs); CSI and CSI effect; DNA wars; Dust analysis; Environmental forensics; Explosive power; Glove prints; Jack the Ripper; Lindbergh kidnapping; Madrid bombings; Albertus Magnus; Oaths and ordeals; Sir William Brooke O'Shaughnessy; Paracelsus; Rigor mortis; Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP); Skeletal identification; Sir Bernard Spilsbury; Vinland Map; and, Zwikker test.

Forensic Criminology gives students of criminology and criminal justice an introduction to the forensic realm and the applied forensic issues they will face when working cases within the justice system. It effectively bridges the theoretical world of social criminology with the applied world of the criminal justice system. While most of the competing textbooks on criminology adequately address the application and the social theory to the criminal justice system, the vast majority do not include casework or real-world issues that criminologists face. This book focuses on navigating casework in forensic contexts by case-working criminologists, rather than broad social theory. It also allows criminology/criminal justice instructors outside of the forensic sciences the ability to develop and instruct a core course that might otherwise be considered beyond their expertise, or in conflict with forensic courses taught in chemistry, biology, or medical programs at their institutions because of its focus on criminology and criminal justice careers. With its practical approach, this textbook is well-suited for forensic criminology subjects being taught and developed in law, criminology, and criminal justice programs around the world. Approaches the study of criminology from an applied standpoint, moving away from the purely theoretical Contains relevant and contemporary case examples to demonstrate the application of forensic criminology Provides an integrated philosophy with respect to criminology, forensic casework, criminal investigations, and the law Useful for students and professionals in the area of criminology, criminal justice, criminal investigation, forensic science, and the law

Clear, comprehensible and authoriatative treatment of the core aspects of criminal justice that should prove both accessible and engaging to nonspecialist readers. Essays focus on types of crimes, apprehension of wrongdoers, criminal trials, and types of punishments to give the set a sharply definded focus on crime and punishment.

This revised and expanded third edition offers a comprehensive and engaging introduction to the criminal justice system of England and Wales. Starting with an overview of the main theories of the causes of crime, this book explores and discusses the operation of the main criminal justice agencies including the police, probation and prison services and the legal and youth justice systems. This book offers a lively and critical discussion of the some of the main themes in criminal justice, from policy making and crime control to diversity and discrimination to the global dimensions of criminal justice, including organized crime and the role of the EU. Key updates to this new edition include: Increased discussion of the measurement, prevention and detection of crime. A revised chapter on the police which discusses the principle of policing by consent, police methods, power and governance as well as the abuse of power. Further discussion of pressing contemporary issues in criminal justice, such as privatization, multi-agency working and community-based criminal justice policy. A brand new chapter on victims of crime, key developments criminal justice policy, and the response of the criminal justice system. This accessible text is essential reading for students taking introductory courses in criminology and criminal justice. A wide range of useful features include review questions, lists of further reading, timelines of key events and a glossary of key terms.

This guide to the scientific processes and the legal, social, and ethical issues involved in the forensic sciences covers the individuals, techniques and principles of biology, chemistry, law, medicine, physics, computer science, geology, and psychology involved in the multidisciplinary examination of crime scenes and evidence used in legal proceedings.

"Good Cop, Bad Cop looks at the rise of racial profiling, one of the most important and hotly debated topics in criminal justice, and traces its development from its origins in criminal profiling, through the use of profiles in drug trafficking prevention efforts in airports and on the U.S. highways, until it became synonymous with racial discrimination by law enforcement. The authors draw upon an extensive body of primary sources, social science literature, and court cases to examine how law enforcement, legislators, and the courts have handled racial profiling. They also review the debate over racial profiling, offering arguments made by its opponents and defenders before and after the events of September 11 and describe its development as both a legal and a cultural concept.

A comprehensive overview of the Texas criminal justice system

What does a Criminological Psychologist do? The popular image is that of a latter-day Sherlock Holmes helping the police to solve crimes and mysteries, but the reality is much more complex. Psychology and Crimeis a new introduction to the topic of Criminological Psychology that helps dispel these popular myths by providing a comprehensive overview of the topic of Criminological Psychology. The book includes both classic and contemporary psychological theory and research on a range of criminological issues including the nature, measurement and causes of crime, police work and offender profiling, eye-witness memory, trial procedures, jury decision making and the treatment of crime. Putwain and Sammons have produced an introductory text which covers the material on this topic in the A2 components of the AQA-B, OCR and Edexcel A-Level specifications. Psychology and Crimeis also ideal for undergraduate students looking for an introduction to criminological psychology and for students studying psychology and media. It will also be useful for those who work in fields related to criminology such as the police and probation services, social workers and therapists.

From arrest to release, the organizational response to mentally ill offenders is continually evolving according to existing policies and resources. How organizations respond, how they should respond, and their ability to evolve is important. The chapters in this volume offer cases with wide ranging policy implications regarding structural and functional changes institutions and organizations might consider given the confines of context and resources to improve the conditions of mentally ill offenders. Policies regarding mentally ill offenders are played out differently by state and county, and the capacity of communities to support individuals with mental illness and criminal histories varies. The quantitative and qualitative research on organizational responses to offenders with mental illness highlighted herein include program evaluation; data collection; best practices in resource utilization; dispositions and the courts; screening; and a broa

Crime is an American preoccupation. Campaigns such as "the war on drugs," zero tolerance policing, and three strikes and you're out--not to mention the ever-shrill coverage of crime stories-all suggest a perpetually outraged nation determined to keep its criminal element at bay, no matter thecost. But is this really what average Americans think about crime and crime control measures? Or is the "no holds barred" approach merely another oscillation in an ongoing cycle of intolerance and tolerance in American thinking? Have prevailing but short-lived sensibilities on crime overruled our commonsense? In this wide-ranging analysis, Michael Tonry argues that those responsible for crafting America's criminal justice policy have lost their way in a forest of good intentions, political cynicism, and public anxieties. American crime control politics over time have created a punishment system no onewould knowingly have chosen yet one that no one seems able to change. Fueled by knee-jerk rhetoric and moral panics, the current crime control regime is founded on short-term thinking and the personal ambitions of politicians terrified of appearing "soft on crime," rather than on policies that work. Tonry demonstrates that attitudes toward crime in America are cyclical. Prevailing sensibilities rather than timeless truths govern the American war on crime, resulting in policies both wasteful and harsh. U.S. crime trends closely resemble those of other nations, yet American policies are verydifferent. The evolution of the war on drugs is an example; sentencing grew steadily harsher long after the drug problem itself eased. Seamlessly blending history with an easy presentation of day-to-day realities and empirical evidence, Tonry proposes tangible, specific solutions that can serve asa platform for criminal justice reform. A spirited manifesto rooted in a lifetime of crime expertise, Tonry's book calls on politician and policymakers to choose the right path, not the easy or politically expedient one. We know how to create an effective and humane criminal justice system. Now we must have the courage to do so, byabandoning the current status quo, which is both costly and cruel in favor of practices that will move America closer to the mainstream of contemporary Western values.

How have different criminal justice agencies responded to the modernization process? What forms does modernization take? This book theorizes modernization in the context of criminal justice. It is suitable for those concerned with the administration of criminal justice at both a policy and managerial level.

Forensic science has made huge advances in recent years, leading to the solving of crimes that previously would have remained in the dark. Offering examples of cases that represent landmarks in types of evidence being considered admissible or not, as well as cases solved by the use of scientific methods, this handbook is ideal for students interested in a law career, or those intrigued by the forensic science methods used today.