Includes bibliographical references (pages 417-433) and index.

Contents: Criminal justice as a system : the basics -- Fundamentals of criminal justice : essential themes and practices -- Foundations of law and crime : nature, elements, and defenses -- Theories of crime and measuring victimization -- Ethical essentials : doing right when no one is watching? -- The police -- Police organization : structure and functions -- Police at work : patrolling and investigating -- Police methods and challenges -- Expounding the constitution : laws of arrest, search, and seizure -- The courts -- Court organization : structures, functions, and the trial process -- The bench and the bar : those who judge, prosecute, and defend -- Court methods and challenges : sentencing and punishment -- Corrections -- Prison and jail organization : structures and functions -- The inmates' world : the "keepers" and the "kept" -- 14.corrections in the community : probation, parole, other alternatives to incarceration -- Spanning the system : methods and issues -- Juvenile justice : philosophy, law, and practices -- On the crime policy and prevention agenda : terrorism, gun control, and marijuana --