Issues in Criminal Justice: A Reader for Critical Thought provides students with scholarly articles that address a variety of challenges within the criminal justice system. The anthology exposes readers to a spectrum of diverse perspectives and is intended to inspire thoughtful consideration and lively debate regarding aspects, concepts, and viewpoints related to criminal justice. The text is organized into six units that address topics often discussed in introductory criminal justice courses. Each unit addresses a major element associated with the criminal justice system and features an introduction, readings, and discussion questions. The units explore the structure and management of the criminal justice system, policing and law enforcement, the judicial system, punishment and corrections, juvenile justice, and victimology. Specific issues include the prison industrial complex, the use of police body cameras, mental health courts, reform and retrenchment in juvenile justice, elder abuse, and more. Designed to foster critical thinking skills, Issues in Criminal Justice is ideal for senior-level capstones or seminars and upper-division or graduate-level courses with focus on contemporary issues in the discipline. M.L. Dantzker holds doctoral degrees in urban studies/administration/criminal justice and clinical psychology from the University of Texas-Arlington and Walden University, respectively. He is a professor of criminal justice at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Dantzker is a licensed professional counselor and has over 30 years of experience within the criminal justice system. Rosalva Resendiz holds a Ph.D. in sociology/social (dis)organization/theory from Texas Woman's University. She is an associate professor of criminal justice at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Resendiz is a critical criminologist with a focus on gender, intersectionality, identity politics, border studies, and social justice.

This is a book about international criminal justice written by one of its foremost practitioners and academic thinkers, Judge Theodor Meron. For two decades, Judge Meron has been at the heart of the international criminal justice system, serving as President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, and a Judge of the Appeals Chambers of the ICTY and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Drawing on this experience, and his life and career before serving as an international judge, Judge Meron reflects on some of the key questions facing the international criminal justice system. In the opening chapter, Judge Meron writes vividly about his childhood experiences in Poland during World War II, his education, career with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and subsequent move into academia in the United States. The book continues with Meron's reflections on what it means to transform from a law professor into an international criminal judge, and shifts focus to the criminal courtroom, addressing topics such as the judicial function, the rule of law, and the principle of fairness in trying atrocity crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Judge Meron discusses judicial independence and impartiality in international criminal courts, shedding light on the mystery of judicial decision-making and deliberations. Notably, he addresses the controversial subjects of acquittals and the early release of prisoners. Although acquittals are often seen as a failure of international justice, Judge Meron argues that legal principle must come before any extraneous purpose, however desirable that purpose may be. Finally, the book looks ahead at the challenges facing the future of international justice and accountability, and discusses the all-important question: does international criminal justice work?

This handbook provides a holistic and comprehensive examination of issues related to criminal justice reform in the United States from a multidisciplinary perspective. Divided into five key domains of reform in the criminal justice system, it analyzes: - Policing - Policy and sentencing - Reentry - Treatment - Alternatives to incarceration Each section provides a history and overview of the domain within the criminal justice system, followed by chapters discussing issues integral to reform. The volume emphasizes decreasing incarceration and minimizing racial, ethnic and economic inequalities. Each section ends with tangible recommendations, based on evidence-based approaches for reform. Of interest to researchers, scholars, activists and policy makers, this unique volume offers a pathway for the future of criminal justice reform in the United States.

Designed to inspire conversation and critical thinking, Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice presents students with a carefully selected collection of readings regarding timely and relevant issues within the criminal justice discipline. Readers are challenged to develop informed opinions on individual topics and then take a step back to consider all of the issues addressed to better understand the complex challenges of working within the criminal justice system.

The volume examines how diversity in Member States' legal cultures is being addressed in the development of EU criminal justice.

This book offers a comprehensive overview and critical analysis of current and future challenges in criminal investigation carried out by the police in the United Kingdom. It is the first book to link current investigative influences on policing and the evidence-based agenda and considers the competing agendas of professionalization and austerity, analyzing the consequences of these developments in the field. Written by an author with extensive practical and training experience, the book traces the development of the role of detectives and discusses their training and education.

This collection examines contemporary challenges to the criminal justice system in England and Wales. The chapters, written by established academics, rising stars and practising lawyers, seek not only to highlight these challenges but to offer solutions. The book examines issues with legal assistance in the police station, concerns relating to juror decision making and problems in and presented by both virtual hearings and the advent of the Single Justice Procedure Notice. The work also examines challenges surrounding vulnerability in the criminal justice system. Here, diversity includes vulnerability in the criminal trial, neurodivergence as well as issues with diversity and marginalisation in the criminal justice system as a whole. The book also discusses matters centred around sexual offending – including the attrition rate in rape cases as well as the recent development of ‘vigilante’ paedophile hunters and their acceptance as a viable limb of the criminal justice system. Finally, the volume looks at the post-conviction stage and examines recent prison policy through the lens of the human rights of the prisoner. The closing chapter examines the independence of the Criminal Cases Review Commission and highlights how recent changes have undermined this. While focused on England and Wales, the topics discussed are of wider international significance and will be of interest to students, academics and policy-makers.