Criminal Justice : Books and eBooks

Corrections looks at the correctional system and offers arguments for and against the practice of the laws and policies that comprise corrections, from parole and probation to imprisonment, to the application of the death penalty. The 20 included chapters, written by eminent scholars and experts in the fields of criminology, police science, law, sociology, psychology, and other disciplines, take on such contested topics as what the goals of the correctional system should be (deterrence, rehabilitation, retribution, or something else?) and how they should be achieved; who should make these decisions; and how to balance the goals of the correctional system with the civil rights of the inmates. Prison conditions and the treatment of prisoners, as well as the changing definition of cruel and unusual punishment, are also examined.The Series The five brief, issues-based books in SAGE Reference′s Key Issues in Crime & Punishment Series offer examinations of controversial programs, practices, problems or issues from varied perspectives. Volumes correspond to the five central subfields in the Criminal Justice curriculum: Crime & Criminal Behavior, Policing, The Courts, Corrections, and Juvenile Justice. Each volume consists of approximately 20 chapters offering succinct pro/con examinations, and Recommended Readings conclude each chapter, highlighting different approaches to or perspectives on the issue at hand. As a set, these volumes provide perfect reference support for students writing position papers in undergraduate courses spanning the Criminal Justice curriculum. Each title is approximately 350 pages in length.

This new text encourages students to develop a deeper understanding of the context and the current workings of the criminal justice system. The first part offers a clear and comprehensive review of the major philosophical aims and sociological theories of punishment, the history of justice and punishment and the developing perspective of victimology. In the second part, the focus is on the main areas of the contemporary criminal justice system, including the police, the courts and judiciary, prisons and community penalties. There are regular reflective question breaks which enable students to consider and respond to questions relating to what they have just read and the book contains useful pedagogic features such as boxed examples, leading questions and annotated further reading. This practical book is particularly geared to undergraduate students following programmes in criminal justice and criminology. It will also prove a useful resource for practitioners who are following vocationally based courses in the criminal justice area - in social work, youth justice and police training courses.

This textbook looks at the main ethical questions that confront the criminal justice system - legislature, law enforcement, courts, and corrections - and those who work within that system, especially police officers, prosecutors, defence lawyers, judges, juries, and prison officers. John Kleinig sets the issues in the context of a liberal democratic society and its ethical and legislative underpinnings, and illustrates them with a wide and international range of real-life case studies. Topics covered include discretion, capital punishment, terrorism, restorative justice, and re-entry. Kleinig's discussion is both philosophically acute and grounded in institutional realities, and will enable students to engage productively with the ethical questions which they encounter both now and in the future - whether as criminal justice professionals or as reflective citizens.

The main objective is to make available a simplified, readily available introductory reader not only for the students of Criminology, but also for the general reader who may be interested in the problems of crime, crime control and prevention.

Criminal justice procedure is the bedrock of human rights. Surprisingly, however, in an era of unprecedented change in criminal justice around the world, it is often dismissed as technical and unimportant. This failure to take procedure seriously has a terrible cost, allowing reform to be driven by purely pragmatic considerations, cost-cutting or foreign influence. Current US political domination, for example, has produced a historic and global shift towards more adversarial procedure, which is widely misunderstood and inconsistently implemented. This book addresses such issues by bringing together a huge range of historical and contemporary research on criminal justice in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas. It proposes a theory of procedure derived from the three great international trial modes of 'inquisitorial justice', 'adversarial justice' and 'popular justice'. This approach opens up the possibility of assessing criminal justice from a more objective standpoint, as well as providing a sourcebook for comparative study and practical reform around the world.

This book presents and discusses information in the study of criminal justice and law enforcement. Topics discussed include capital punishment; juvenile justice; the use of DNA in cold cases; statutes of limitation in federal criminal cases; the illicit drug market in Taiwan and leadership in police organisations.

This book examines the illegal behaviour of entrepreneurs and discusses how criminal entrepreneurs acquire information, learn from their entrepreneurial experiences, and utilize acquired knowledge to develop their organizations. The chapters demonstrate several dimensions of the entrepreneurial processes, such as imagination, innovation, calculated risk taking, alertness to opportunities, opportunity identification, as well as resource assemblage and leverage to exploit an opportunity - all in a criminal context. Illegal methods used by entrepreneurs to identify solutions to problems that lead to the generation of business opportunities are illustrated. Moreover, methods used by criminal entrepreneurs to circumvent barriers to the entrepreneurial process and business developments are highlighted. Issues relating to the formation of crimino-entrepreneurial ventures are critically discussed. Emerging issues relating to illegal corporate entrepreneurship are illustrated.

Police leaders possess a plethora of rich experiences and practical and theoretical knowledge that provides fascinating insights into the current state of policing around the world. While observers' opinions of ongoing developments in policing are well known, it is rare to get an insider's glimpse of how police leaders themselves assess these advances. Through in-depth and exceptionally thoughtful interviews with highly placed police leaders and administrators, Trends in Policing: Interviews with Police Leaders Across the Globe presents cross-cultural perspectives on the organizational structure, leadership, functions, public projects, training, culture, and societal context of police worldwide. A broad spectrum of police philosophies from over a dozen countries This elite group of leaders and the learned researchers who interview them address the fundamental contextual changes that add layers of complexity to police work. Covering an extensive range of topics, the interviews include the experiences, opinions, and preferences of men and women who individually and as a group possess a vast array of knowledge pertaining to the problems and prospects of policing. While examining current trends, they discuss the future role of police in a world in which policing issues transcend national borders. A fruitful collaboration between practitioners and academics Through discussions with those actively engaged in policing, this book bridges the gap between research and practice. While police leaders are not usually accustomed to reflecting and writing on their experiences, the thoughtful interview style of the researchers assists the practitioners in defining their views, forming a cohesive volume rich with the wisdom of experience and the context of analysis.  

Crime scene investigators are the foundation for every criminal investigation. The admissibility and persuasiveness of evidence in court, and in turn, the success of a case, is largely dependent upon the evidence being properly collected, recorded, and handled for future analysis by investigators and forensic analysts in the lab. Complete Crime Scene Investigation Handbook is the most complete, one-stop practical reference for law enforcement and crime scene professionals as well as students looking to enter the field. The book provides step-by-step methods and best practice protocols for effectively finding, recognizing, recording, collecting, preserving, handling, and packaging evidence. With more than 650 full color photos and illustrations the book covers: The investigative team and its responsibilities The rules for forensic search and seizure Proper documentation of evidence via note-taking, photography, and sketching Search patterns and the special considerations for various searches The use of alternative light sources Presumptive tests via luminol and other methods Latent fingerprint processing Evidence collection and packaging Serological, trace, firearms, toolmark, footwear, tire, and digital evidence Injury documentation Appendices with a full compliment of sample forms, equipment lists, and checklists to assist in crime scene investigation A special considerations section reviews topics such as shooting scene and bloodstain documentation, clandestine graves and scattered human remains, fire scenes, and questioned document evidence. The final chapters examine how to develop a working plan and processing methodology as well as effective report writing. This book is a must-have reference for experienced forensic, crime scene, and investigative professionals as well as students in forensic science programs looking to enter the field. A specially developed companion lab exercise workbook--The Complete Crime Scene Investigation Workbook (ISBN: 978-1-4987-0142-6)--is also available for purchase and can be used in conjunction with this handbook, both for group training purposes or for individuals looking for hands-on self-study.

What is it about evil that we find so compelling? From our obsession with serial killers to violence in pop culture, we seem inescapably drawn to the stories of monstrous acts and the aberrant people who commit them. But evil, Dr. Julia Shaw argues, is all relative, rooted in our unique cultures. What one may consider normal, like sex before marriage, eating meat, or being a banker, others find abhorrent. And if evil is only in the eye of the beholder, can it be said to exist at all? In Evil, Shaw uses case studies from academia, examples from and popular culture, and anecdotes from everyday life to break down complex information and concepts like the neuroscience of evil, the psychology of bloodlust, and workplace misbehavior. This is a wide-ranging exploration into a fascinating, darkly compelling subject.

The Glock pistol is America's Gun. It has been rhapsodized by hip-hop artists and coveted by cops and crooks alike. Created in 1982 by Gaston Glock, the pistol arrived in America at a fortuitous time. Law enforcement agencies had concluded that their agents and officers, armed with standard six-round revolvers, were getting "outgunned" by drug dealers with semi-automatic pistols; they needed a new gun. With its lightweight plastic frame and large-capacity spring-action magazine, the Glock was the gun of the future. You could drop it underwater, toss it from a helicopter, or leave it out in the snow, and it would still fire. It was reliable, accurate, lightweight, and cheaper to produce than Smith and Wesson's revolver.   Filled with corporate intrigue, political maneuvering, Hollywood glitz, bloody shoot-outs--and an attempt on Gaston Glock's life by a former lieutenant--Glock is not only the inside account of how Glock the company went about marketing its pistol to police agencies and later the public, but also a compelling chronicle of the evolution of gun culture in America.

Since 2001 the TSA has accepted responsibility for protecting over two million people a day at U.S. airports and managing transportation operations around the world. But how effective is this beleaguered agency, and is it really keeping us safe from terrorism? In this riveting expose, former TSA administrator Kip Hawley reveals the secrets behind the agency's ongoing battle to outthink and outmaneuver terrorists, illuminating the flawed, broken system that struggles to stay one step ahead ofcatastrophe. Citing numerous thwarted plots and government actions that have never before been revealed publicly, Hawley suggests that the fundamental mistake in America's approach to national security is requiring a protocol for every contingency. Instead, he claims, we must learn to live with reasonable risk so that we can focus our efforts on long-term, big-picture strategy, rather than expensive and ineffective regulations that only slow us down.

This thoughtful text demonstrates how the mass media constructs a politics of fear in the United States. Using a social interactionist perspective, the chapters examines such issues as the expansion of surveillance on the Internet, the construction of a terrorism-fighting hero to promote patriotism, the use of social media by terror groups, the fear of the other fostered by the refugee crisis and western radicalization, as well as the mass-mediated reaction to recent terrorist attacks. Also covered are the politics of fear involving disease (Ebola, Zika), social control efforts, and harsh attacks on American governmental officials for not keeping people safe from harm. All chapters in this new edition have been updated with descriptions and relevant analysis of significant events, including two Israeli-Hamas wars, terrorism attacks (e.g., Boston Marathon, Charlie Hebdo, San Bernadino, etc.), global reactions--often hostility--to refugees in the United States and especially Europe, the development of ISIS, surveillance (Wiki Leaks, Snowden, NSA), and the growing significance of social media. The text explains how the social construction of fear is used to steer public and foreign policy, arguing that security policies to protect the citizenry from violence have become control systems that most often curtail privacy and civil liberties.

Understanding the Department of Homeland Security discusses why the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)--the largest and the newest department of government--was established and then takes a detailed look at the role of the 22 different federal departments and agencies that were incorporated into it. DHS has more than 240,000 employees in jobs that range from aviation and border security to emergency response, from cybersecurity analyst to chemical facility inspector. Its duties are wide-ranging, but the goal is clear--keeping America safe. Features: -An analytical look at the Department of Homeland Security and all its component agencies. -A list of all the major homeland security incidents over the last 100 years. About the Series: The Cabinet Series looks at the major departments in the Federal Government explaining why they were created and the responsibilities of each agency and how they conduct their daily business at home and abroad. It helps to explain what federal agencies do and how they affect the lives of citizens.

A gripping historical true crime narrative that "reads like the best of Conan Doyle himself" (Karen Abbott, author of The Ghosts of Eden Park), American Sherlock recounts the riveting true story of the birth of modern criminal investigation. Berkeley, California, 1933. In a lab filled with curiosities--beakers, microscopes, Bunsen burners, and hundreds upon hundreds of books--sat an investigator who would go on to crack at least two thousand cases in his forty-year career. Known as the "American Sherlock Holmes," Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of America's greatest--and first--forensic scientists, with an uncanny knack for finding clues, establishing evidence, and deducing answers with a skill that seemed almost supernatural. Heinrich was one of the nation's first expert witnesses, working in a time when the turmoil of Prohibition led to sensationalized crime reporting and only a small, systematic study of evidence. However with his brilliance, and commanding presence in both the courtroom and at crime scenes, Heinrich spearheaded the invention of a myriad of new forensic tools that police still use today, including blood spatter analysis, ballistics, lie-detector tests, and the use of fingerprints as courtroom evidence. His work, though not without its serious--some would say fatal--flaws, changed the course of American criminal investigation. Based on years of research and thousands of never-before-published primary source materials, American Sherlock captures the life of the man who pioneered the science our legal system now relies upon--as well as the limits of those techniques and the very human experts who wield them.

From an expert in non-verbal communication, comes a guide to the body language of criminals. This book ventures inside the criminal mind to help the reader recognize the red warning flags before they become a victim.

What causes people to commit violent crimes? The case studies in this book enable readers to evaluate the motivations behind crimes ranging from arson to rape to gang violence. Violent crime remains a major problem in America: in 2011, there were more than 1.2 million violent crimes committed in the United States. To better grasp the complex reasons behind this disturbing statistic, author David J. Thomas--a police officer and forensic psychologist--conducted an in-depth examination of violent crime to pinpoint why some individuals intentionally inflict pain and suffering upon others. In this book, readers are given access to excerpts from police interviews for each spotlighted crime in the case studies, offering a unique inside look at the true motivations of the criminal. The case studies include examples of arson, crimes against children, gang violence, human trafficking, murder, rape, and robbery. The work also explores the psychology associated with each crime, addresses evidence of corresponding personality types, and delves into victimology. Provides compelling insight into criminals who commit the acts of robbery, rape, murder, crimes against children, human trafficking, gang violence, and arson Presents case studies and unpublished studies to discuss issues such as victim selection, belief systems, motivations, and decision making Brings to light the psychological trauma that the victims of crimes experience and the impact that these experiences have on their personal and professional lives Allows readers to compare and contrast the typologies of each of the criminals discussed in the text as well as the associated theories in order to identify any commonalities Ideally suited for criminal justice students, police officers and investigators, private investigators, criminal justice professors, forensic psychologists, criminologists, and anyone with an interest in criminal behavior

A comprehensive resource that addresses the ethical implications of decision-making in the criminal justice field, including the police, court, and corrections systems.

An explanation of the basic principles of data This book explains the basic principles of data as building blocks of electronic evidential matter, which are used in a cyber forensics investigations. The entire text is written with no reference to a particular operation system or environment, thus it is applicable to all work environments, cyber investigation scenarios, and technologies.  The text is written in a step-by-step manner, beginning with the elementary building blocks of data progressing upwards to the representation and storage of information.  It inlcudes practical examples and illustrations throughout to guide the reader.