Breaking new ground in the study of criminal justice!

By incorporating three main concepts that are central to the success or failure of the system -the tension between public safety and civil liberties; the capacity of the criminal justice system to control criminal behavior and reduce crime; and the role played by race, class, and gender in the operation of the criminal justice system—the authors cast a realistic and constructive eye on the American criminal justice system

The format of this book is also unique. Fourteen core chapters offer concise, thorough, and easy-to-read coverage of all major topic areas, and seven “interchapters” that examine a high-interest topic in depth bring a broader scope to the book while still maintaining the brevity that makes it so easy to read.