Criminal Justice 98/99

by Victor, Joseph L.

• ISBN13: 9780697391377
• ISBN10: 069739137X
• Edition: 22nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-04-01
• Publisher: Dushkin Pub Group

Table of Contents

To the Reader	iv
Charts and Graphs	1	(1)
Topic Guide	2	(2)
Selected World Wide Web Sites	4	(2)
UNIT 1 Crime and Justice in America Six selections focus on the overall structure of the criminal justice system in the United States. The current scope of crime in America is reviewed, and topics such as criminal behavior, race issues, and policing practices are discussed
Overview	6	(2)
1. An Overview of the Criminal Justice System, What is the sequence of events in the criminal justice system? This report reveals that the response to crime is a complex process, involving citizens as well as many agencies, levels, and branches of government	8	(6)
Report to the Nation on Crime and Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, March 1988
2. The Real Problems in American Justice "Each year, 4.3 million violent crimes are committed, but barely more than 200,000 people are convicted of felonies and a little over half end up going to prison," this report reveals. The 10 major "flaws" in the criminal justice system, such as plea bargaining, police failures, the jury system, and repeaters of violent crime, are discussed	14	(3)
U.S. News & World Report, October 9, 1995
3. What to Do about Crime, James Q. Wilson discusses crime in America and those who commit it. He proposes some innovative approaches to dealing with crime, such as problem-oriented policing, expanding the right of police to stop and frisk suspects, developing technologies that will permit the police to detect from a distance persons who are carrying weapons, and enforcing truancy laws	17	(12)
James Q. Wilson, Commentary, September 1994
4. The Mystery of the Falling Crime Rate, What's behind the decline in violent crime? The question prompts lively debate among people who address a huge social issue from different angles. Their explanations include astute policing, demographic change changes, and "get tough" prison policies	29	(5)
David C. Anderson, The American Prospect, May/June 1997
5. African American Males in the Criminal Justice System, Many are aware of the fact that African American males are disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system. Jerome Miller contends this phenomenon can be attributed to the system's attempt to criminalize a race. He presents to the reader unstated assumptions that, he says, underlie policies and practices of the criminal justice system	34	(9)
Jerome G. Miller, Phi Delta Kappan, June 1997
6. Restorative Justice: A Story Needing to Be Told, Restorative justice is a fledgling movement in this country based on a theology that may lead us to a different way of doing justice	43	(5)
Virginia Mackey, Church & Society, March/April 1997
UNIT 2 Victimology Four articles discuss the impact of crime on the victim. Topics include the rights of crime victims and the consequences of family violence
Overview	48	(2)
7. Victimization and the Victim Industry During the 1960s, Americans became sensitized to victims and victimization; by the 1970s, there was a widespread ideology of victimization. As this ideology gained acceptance in key institutions, it created a victim industry that now supports the identification of large numbers of victims	50	(7)
Joel Best, Society, May/June 1997
8. True Crime, Safety-conscious baby boomers and the media fuel an overwhelming public fear of crime. An examination of the data reveals that much fear is misplaced. Yet the worst crimes are increasing, and life can be dangerous, especially in the South	57	(8)
Cheryl Russell, American Demographics, August 1995
9. The Dynamics of Domestic Abuse Douglas Marvin maintains that, for law enforcement officers to effectively respond to and-investigate domestic abuse, they must be familiar with the complex social, economic, and psychological issues that underlie the these acts	65	(4)
Douglas R. Marvin, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, July 1997
10. Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse-Later Criminal Consequences Cathy Spatz Widom continues her research into the possible negative consequences in later life for children who were sexually or physically abused or neglected. In this study phase, she is focusing on sexual abuse, which, it appears, does not necessarily lead to adult criminal behavior	69	(7)
Cathy Spatz Widom, National Institute of Justice (NIJ)/Research in Brief, March 1995
UNIT 3 The Police Five selections examine the role of the police officer. Some of the topics discussed include the stress of police work, multicultural changes, and ethical policing
Overview	76	(2)
11. Police and the Quest for Professionalism Professionalism has long been a goal of the American police community. Barbara Price explores some of the reasons for this and explains factors that might impede reaching this goal. Some see community policing as the key to solving the problems	78	(2)
Barbara Raffel Price, Law Enforcement News, June 15, 1995
12. Reducing Stress: An Organization-Centered Approach, Peter Finn examines the often-neglected effects that organizational stress has on police agencies and officers	80	(6)
Peter Finn, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, August 1997
13. Better Cops, Fewer Robbers, By following a rookie cop through his first months, James Lardner examines changes that have taken place in the New York City Police Department	86	(10)
James Lardner, New York Times Magazine, February 9, 1997
14. Incorporating Diversity: Police Response to Multicultural Changes in Their Communities, Brad Bennett discusses the findings of a study undertaken to determine how four California law enforcement agencies responded to demographic changes in their communities. Bennett notes that the country is being called on to open its arms to people from many different ethnic backgrounds. He says police departments must do their parts to respond to multicultural changes	96	(5)
Brad R. Bennett, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, December 1995
15. A LEN Interview with Prof. Edwin J. Delattre of Boston University, Author of "Character & Cops," Edwin Delattre is a college professor who is frequently invited by law enforcement agencies from coast to coast to lecture on police ethics and integrity. Here, he discusses the ethics of policing, focusing not only on individual officers but also on the nature of the organizations in which they serve	101	(9)
Marie Simonetti Rosen, Law Enforcement News, May 15, 1997
UNIT 4 Judicial System Five selections discuss the process by which the accused are moved through the judicial system. Prosecutors, courts, the jury process, and judicial ethics are reviewed
Overview	110	(2)
16. Adversarial Justice, Franklin Strier reveals what he sees as the flaws in America's adversary trial system, including its "weakness in exposing the truth." He calls on judges to use their authority to reform the "failing" system.	112	(8)
Franklin Strier, The World & 1, August 1995
17. Day of Reckoning This essay reveals how the jury that found Timothy McVeigh guilty in the Oklahoma City bombing trial wrestled with emotion and tears as it preapared to decide his fate.
James Collins, Time, June 16, 1997
18. Jury Nullification: A Perversion of Justice? There has been a lot of discussion lately about jury nullification. Andrew Leipold explores the nullification decision, which occurs when jurors in a criminal case acquit the defendant despite their belief that he or she was guilty of the crime charged
Andrew D. Leipold, USA Today Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education), September 1997
19. 'We're in the Fight of our Lives, "Criminal justice in America is in a state of collapse," says Judge Harold J. Rothwax, who has presided over criminal cases in New York City for over 25 years. He argues for eliminating both the exclusionary rule and the requirement for a unanimous jury verdict, and he calls for restrictions on peremptory challenges to prospective jurors	126	(3)
Bernard Gavzer, Parade, July 28, 1996
20. A Little Learning, Professor James Wilson asserts that, when judges allow expert witnesses to present their private theories in court, justice is the victim	129	(3)
James Q. Wilson, National Review, June 2, 1997
UNIT 5 Juvenile Justice Six selections review the juvenile justice system. The topics include effective ways to respond to violent juvenile crime, juvenile detention, and youths in gangs
Overview	132	(2)
21. Restoring the Balance: Juvenile and Community Justice, Alternatively referred to as restorative justice, the balanced approach, and balanced and restorative justice, this alternative approach to addressing juvenile crime focuses on the interests o multiple justice clients	134	(9)
Gordon Bazemore
Susan E. Day, Juvenile Justice, December 1996
22. Teen Crime, Congress believes it is time for states to toughen their handling of kids who commit serious felonies. But, is throwing teens into adult courts-and adult prisons-the best way to deal with juvenile offenders?	143	(2)
Richard Lacayo, Time, July 21, 1997
23. Controlling Crime before It Happens: Risk-Focused Prevention, J. David Hawkins advocates using the public health model to reduce violence in America's communities. The model calls for (1) identifying factors that put young people at risk for violence, in order to reduce or eliminate these factors, and (2) strengthening the protective factors that buffer the effects of exposure to risk	145	(6)
J. David Hawkins, National Institute of Justice Journal, August 1995
24. On the Streets of America, Mark Fleisher, a field researcher studying the Fairview Hawks, a youth gang, observed that the most painful thing he learned on the streets is this: These youngsters would probably not be alcoholics, drug addicts, gang members, and convicted felons if their parents or other adults truly cared about them	151	(6)
Mark S. Fleisher, Natural History, July/August 1997
25. With Juvenile Courts in Chaos, Critics Propose Their Demise, The nation's juvenile courts have been so overwhelmed by the increase in violent teenage crime and the breakdown of the family that judges and politicians are debating a solution that wa once unthinkable: abolishing the system and trying most minors as adults	157	(5)
Fox Butterfield, New York Times, July 21, 1997
26. Teen Court, Teen Court is a program that uses the power of peer pressure as a positive force to help convince youthful troublemakers that crime yields serious consequences	162	(6)
Sharon J. Zehner, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, March 1997
UNIT 6 Punishment and Corrections Nine selections focus on the current state of America's penal system and the effects of sentencing, probation, overcrowding, and capital punishment on criminals
Overview	168	(2)
27. Can We Break the Pattern of the Criminal Lifestyle? Mark Fleisher, asserts that it is cheaper to house persistent criminals in prison than it is to release them every few years, then to rearrest and convict them again to pay for the damage they left behind. What is more, the nation can afford to build more and more prisons	170	(3)
Mark S. Fleisher, USA Today Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education), May 1997
28. Reinventing Parole and Probation, John Dilulio Jr., a lock-'em-up hard-liner, makes the case for probation as well as for parole. He maintains it is time to get behind serious efforts to reinvent these supervised release programs	173	(2)
John J. Dilulio Jr., The Brookings Review, Spring 1997
29. Eddie Ellis at Large, Former Black Panther Eddie Ellis spent 23 years in New York State's toughest prisons for a crime he did not commit. Released a few years ago, he has worked tirelessly to make needed changes in his own community and in the justice system	175	(9)
Pam Widener, Prison Life, October 1996
30. Ethical Considerations in Probation Practice, Probation officers frequently face decisions that place the needs of offenders in direct conflict with the welfare of society. In making such decisions, they can benefit from a firm foundation in ethics.	184	(6)
Marylouise E. Jones
Arthur J. Lurigio, Perspectives, Summer 1997
31. Prisons Grapple with Rapid Influx of Women-and Mothers, The United States has the second highest incarceration rate in the world. While women represent just 6.3 percent of those behind bars, their numbers are growing rapidly	190	(5)
Nicole Gaouette, The Christian Science Monitor, May 19, 1997
32. To Keep Peace, Prisons Allow Race to Rule Prison officials and politicians say separating inmates by race boosts safety and control and is just being practical. Others say strict segregation of inmates into race groups has unintentionally turned state prisons into factories of racism	195	(2)
Daniel B. Wood, The Christian Science Monitor, September 16, 1997
33. The Color of Justice, There are more nonwhite men on death row than their Caucasian counterparts, a fact supported by the numbers. The real question is this: Is the disparity due to racial discrimination or other not-so-black-and-white issues?	197	(6)
John H. Trumbo, Death Row, 1995
34. What Works? What Matters? Recidivism among Probationers in North Carolina, The results of this study suggest correctional intervention may make a difference in some cases of recidivism. Further, problems of young, black males living in densely populated areas cannot be fixed simply by creating a new program or by abolishing an existing one	203	(4)
Mark Jones
Darrell L. Ross, Perspectives, Summer 1997
35. The Death Penalty in 1996: Year End Report, The number of executions in 1996 was the second highest since 1976. The profile of a typical death row inmate remained the same: He was likely to be a poor man who never graduated from high school; he was a member of a minority who had been convicted of murdering a white person	207	(5)
Death Penalty Information Center, December 1996
Crime Statistics	212	(9)
Glossary	221	(4)
Index	225	(3)
Article Review Form	228	(1)
Article Rating Form	229