Courts and Criminal Justice in America

Description

For all courses in courts and criminal justice.
A balanced, modern introduction to America’s court system
Courts and Criminal Justice in America is a collaboration of the most popular criminal justice authors of the century. Presupposing no previous knowledge of the courts or how they operate, this comprehensive text examines the basic structure of the court system and court process, as well as all sides of today’s most controversial issues. Cases illustrate the power of the court system to regulate citizens’ lives, shape what’s acceptable, and strike a balance between rights and liberties. Extensively revised throughout, the 3rd edition update features new chapter-opening stories and Courts in the News boxes challenging readers to think critically and draw their own conclusions.
Courts and Criminal Justice in America, 3rd Edition, is also available via Revel^®, an interactive learning environment that enables students to read, practice, and study in one continuous experience.

PART 1: FOUNDATIONS
1. Legal Foundations
2. Who Controls the Courts?

PART 2: TYPES OF COURTS
3. Federal Courts
4. State Courts
5. Juvenile Courts
6. Specialized Courts

PART 3: THE PEOPLE INVOLVED
7. Judges
8. Prosecutors
9. Defense Attorneys
10. Defendants and Victims: Their Roles and Rights

PART 4: THE COURT PROCESS
11. Pretrial Procedures
12. Plea Bargaining and Guilty Pleas
13. The Jury and the Trial
14. Sentencing, Appeals, and Habeas Corpus

PART 5: CURRENT ISSUES AND THE FUTURE OF COURTS
15. Differential Treatment and Wrongful Convictions
16. Technology, Alternatives, and the Future

About our authors

Larry J. Siegel was born in the Bronx and graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in 1964. After attending City College of New York in the 1960s, he pursued his interest in social forces and human behavior when, in 1968, he became a member of the first class of the newly created graduate program in criminal justice at the State University of New York at Albany. After earning his MA and PhD, Dr. Siegel began his teaching career at Northeastern University; he also has held teaching positions at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, and Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. In 1988, he joined the faculty at the School of Criminology and Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, where he now serves as a professor emeritus. Professor Siegel has published books and articles on juvenile law, decision making in criminal justice delinquency, criminology and criminal procedure, among other topics. The father of four, grandfather of three, Larry and his wife, Terry, reside in Naples, Florida.

Frank Schmalleger is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame and The Ohio State University, having earned both a master’s (1970) and a doctorate (1974) in sociology (with a special emphasis in criminology) from The Ohio State University. From 1976 to 1994, Dr. Schmalleger taught criminology and criminal justice courses at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke; for the last 16 of those years, he chaired the university’s Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice. The university named him Distinguished Professor in 1991. Schmalleger has taught in the online graduate program of the New School for Social Research, helping to build the world’s first electronic classrooms in support of distance learning through computer telecommunications. As an adjunct professor with Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, he helped develop the university’s graduate program in security administration and loss prevention and taught courses in that curriculum for more than a decade. An avid web user and website builder, Professor Schmalleger is also the creator of numerous award-winning websites. He is the author of numerous articles and more than 30 books, including the widely used Criminal Justice Today (Pearson), Criminal Justice: A Brief Introduction (Pearson), Criminology Today (Pearson) and Criminal Law Today (Prentice Hall).

John L. Worrall is a professor of criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas. A Seattle native, he received a BA (with a double major in psychology as well as law and justice) from Central Washington University in 1994. Professor Worrall earned both his MA (criminal justice) and PhD (political science) from Washington State University, where he graduated in 1999. From 1999 to 2006, he was a member of the criminal justice faculty at California State University, San Bernardino. He moved to Texas in the fall of 2006. Dr. Worrall has published articles and book chapters on a wide variety of topics ranging from legal issues in policing to community prosecution. He is also the author of several textbooks, including Crime Control in America: What Works? (4th edition, Pearson, 2019) and Criminal Procedure: From First Contact to Appeal (6th edition, Pearson, 2019). He serves as executive director of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and editor of the journal Police Quarterly.

Hallmark features of this title

A balanced presentation of issues facing courts today

• All sides of controversial issues are covered, letting readers draw their own conclusions.
• The text goes beyond covering the basics of courts and the personnel who bring them to life. It also includes the context in which they operate and the complexities of human interaction.

Up-to-date topics and recent trends in the field

• A range of cutting-edge topics and novel practices related to the courts are addressed. These are topics that stir controversy and can enliven class discussion.
• Lasting Impact boxes discuss the significance of certain court cases. They explore in depth the continuing impact of important court decisions.
• An entire chapter is dedicated to so-called specialized courts, including homeless courts.

For all courses in courts and criminal justice.

A balanced, modern introduction to America’s court system
Courts and Criminal Justice in America is a collaboration of the most popular criminal justice authors of the century. Presupposing no previous knowledge of the courts or how they operate, this comprehensive text examines the basic structure of the court system and court process, as well as all sides of today’s most controversial issues. Cases illustrate the power of the court system to regulate citizens’ lives, shape what’s acceptable, and strike a balance between rights and liberties. Extensively revised throughout, the 3rd edition features new chapter-opening stories and Courts in the News boxes challenging readers to think critically and draw their own conclusions.

Courts and Criminal Justice in America, 3rd Edition, is also available via Revel^®, an interactive learning environment that enables students to read, practice, and study in one continuous experience. Learn more.

New and updated features of this title

A focus on current events

• UPDATED: Chapter-opening stories relate the chapter’s theme to current events. For example, a new chapter-opening story features the surge in court cases involving police shootings and excessive use of force.
• UPDATED: Courts in the News features include recent news from the courts, along with thought-provoking questions that build on each story. For example, a Courts in the News box features the latest developments in federal drug sentencing, including the release of some 6,000 inmates in late 2015.

Activities and learning aids

• UPDATED: What Will You Do? boxes feature scenario-based activities. They focus on issues such as victim advocacy, web-based conferencing in virtual courtrooms and the notion of precedent as it impacts the decisions of police forces.
• REVISED: Learning objectives have been revised in certain chapters.
• UPDATED: The latest statistics and research findings keep students on track with trends pertaining to the court systems.

Additional information