Making Sense of Criminal Justice

Making Sense of Criminal Justice PDF

Author: G. Larry Mays

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2007-03-30

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13:

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As they learn about the criminal justice system, students often hear that "nothing works." Enter Making Sense of Criminal Justice--an innovative and insightful textbook that meets the needs of both criminal justice policy courses and undergraduate capstone courses (sometimes called "senior seminars"). Beginning with an outline of the crime control and due process models, G. Larry Mays and Rick Ruddell have organized the book around the three major components of the criminal justice system (police, courts, and corrections). This topical, issues-oriented approach encourages students to think critically about major dilemmas faced by participants in the system, from issues of race and gender to the use of the death penalty. Working from a balanced viewpoint, the authors argue that criminal justice is inherently a political process; they examine strategies that work, those that do not work, and those that represent a gray area between the two extremes. Rather than providing students with "the answers," Mays and Ruddell challenge them to think critically about how we deal with situations--such as the use of force by the police--and offer a framework for lively classroom discussions and debates. End-of-chapter key terms, critical-thinking review questions, and recommended readings enhance students' understanding of the material and aid in test preparation.

Criminal Justice Policy and Planning

Criminal Justice Policy and Planning PDF

Author: Wayne N. Welsh

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-09-19

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1317523202

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Unlike other textbooks on the subject, Criminal Justice Policy and Planning presents a comprehensive and structured account of the process of administering planned change in the criminal justice system. Welsh and Harris detail a simple yet sophisticated seven-stage model, which offers students and practitioners a full account of program and policy development from beginning to end. The authors thoughtfully discuss the steps: analyzing a problem; setting goals and objectives; designing the program or policy; action planning; implementing and monitoring; evaluating outcomes; and reassessing and reviewing. Within these steps, students and policy-makers focus on performing essential procedures, such as conducting a systems analysis, specifying an impact model, identifying target populations, making cost projections, collecting monitoring data, and performing a meta-analysis, In reviewing these steps and procedures, readers can develop a full appreciation for the challenges inherent in the process and understand the tools required to meet those challenges. To provide for a greater understanding of the material, the text uses a wide array of real-life case studies and examples of programs and policies. Examples include policies such as Restorative Justice, The Second Chance Act, Three Strikes Laws, and the Brady Act, and programs such as drug courts, boot camps, and halfway houses. By examining the successes and failures of these innovations, the authors demonstrate both the ability of rational planning to make successful improvements and the tendency of unplanned change to result in undesirable outcomes. The result is a powerful argument for the use of logic, deliberation, and collaboration in criminal justice innovations.

Handbook on Restorative Justice Programmes

Handbook on Restorative Justice Programmes PDF

Author: Yvon Dandurand

Publisher: United Nations Publications

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789211337549

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The present handbook offers, in a quick reference format, an overview of key considerations in the implementation of participatory responses to crime based on a restorative justice approach. Its focus is on a range of measures and programmes, inspired by restorative justice values, that are flexible in their adaptation to criminal justice systems and that complement them while taking into account varying legal, social and cultural circumstances. It was prepared for the use of criminal justice officials, non-governmental organizations and community groups who are working together to improve current responses to crime and conflict in their community

Criminal Justice Policy Making

Criminal Justice Policy Making PDF

Author: Barbara Stolz

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13:

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The how and why of criminal justice policy making is frequently overlooked in criminal justice texts. Stolz fills that gap with this reader, which introduces students to the study of criminal justice policy making at the federal level by drawing on the discipline of political science. Each chapter includes • academic and government publications that acquaint the reader with federal criminal justice policy-making structures and processes • criminal justice policy-making issues related to each branch of government • several political science frameworks, used to explain how governmental structures and processes affect criminal justice policy Stolz begins with an introduction to the background of federal criminal justice policy making. She then moves to the three branches of the federal government involved in the process. In addition, a chapter on non-decision making, where policy makers do not consider certain alternative policies, is included. Each chapter begins with a careful introduction by the editor and concludes with recommendations for further reading, including important electronic resources for further consideration. The selections in this work include academic and government publications and speeches that help to shed light on this important area of criminal justice studies. This unique volume provides the tools for analyzing how criminal justice policy is made.

Criminal Justice at the Crossroads

Criminal Justice at the Crossroads PDF

Author: William R. Kelly

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2015-05-05

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 0231539223

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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.

Criminal Justice and the Policy Process

Criminal Justice and the Policy Process PDF

Author: James G. Houston

Publisher: University Press of America

Published: 2008-08-28

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 0761841776

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Criminal Justice and the Policy Process develops a synthesized policy making model that explains how complex justice policy is developed, implemented, and evaluated. Unlike other texts, this study weaves together important aspects of several competing explanations of policy choice into a single model. Further, this text emphasizes the importance of implementing policy as an important component in the ultimate outcome of policy decisions. The book fills a void in introducing students to the policy making process coupled with the importance of justice administration as a component. Important themes throughout the book include the role of the media, special interests, elite policy makers, and discretion.