Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Modern Approach (Aspen Criminal Justice Series)

Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Modern Approach provides a holistic picture of the contemporary U.S. criminal justice system including its strengths, limitations, and ethical challenges. The book is organized around the three main sectors of the criminal justice system: Police, Courts, and Corrections. Woven throughout the book are contemporary and engaging topics, such as cybercrime, treatment courts, and reentry. The book also examines law enforcement’s use of technology including body-worn cameras, surveillance, artificial intelligence, and drones as well as the associated ethical and privacy challenges. Innovative pedagogical features that cover ethics, careers, myths v. realities, and minors in the criminal justice system are integrated into each chapter and bolster the learning process throughout the term. Each of these features includes Thinking Critically Questions that instructors can use for class discussion or assign as homework.Professors and students will benefit from:Clear and effective structure that supports learning with reading content for each chapter organized by numbered major sections and corresponding measurable learning objectives, establishing what students will understand after studying each section.Relevant cases and examples that encourage students to think critically about the facts, theories, and challenges that characterize the U.S. criminal justice system.Chapter 10 on Treatment Courts: A New Path to Justice and Rehabilitation offers unique coverage of this important topic.Emphasis on active learning is supported by innovative pedagogical features in every chapter:Crime in Real Life prompts students to engage with and think critically about a real-world legal case, supported by You Make the Case questions and instructional videos in the Connected eBook.Ethical Conundrums in CJ, Minors in CJ, Careers in CJ, and Myths v. Realities in CJ are accompanied by Thinking Critically Questions that bolster the learning process throughout the term.Questions to Consider conclude each major section of each chapter, encouraging students to pause and think deeply about what they have just learned.End-of-chapter content helps students develop critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills through challenging discussion questions and hands-on learning activities.Skill-building in interpreting data by evaluating figures, graphs, and tables with the latest available criminal justice data. Eight of thirteen chapters conclude with Real-Time Data Exercises that ask students to locate, research, and analyze data from websites such as the FBI Crime Data Explorer, The Council on Criminal Justice, and the Vera Institute of Justice. Read more