Introduction to Criminal Justice

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The field of criminal justice is constantly changing as new laws are passed, new technology is deployed, old social problems continue to fester and surface, and new social problems emerge. The police are accused of racial profiling, of charging innocent people with crimes they did not commit or that did not occur, and of allowing corruption to run rampant in big-city police departments. At the same time, community policing brings relief to neighborhoods plagued by crime and disorder for decades and the police have become guardians of public safety in the battle against terrorists.

Overcrowding in the courts leads to a denial of justice for many defendants, but restorative justice offers alternatives to traditional court proceedings and holds out hope for both victim and offender. New supermax prisons are built to house societys most dangerous offenders while new and exciting alternatives to incarceration are explored. Helping students understand the nature and extent of such changes and the interrelationships among them is the goal of this text.