Download or read book Exercising Discretion written by Loraine Gelsthorpe and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The exercise of discretion in the criminal justice system and related agencies often plays a key part in decisions which are made, but definitions of discretion are not clear, and despite widespread recognition of its importance there is much controversy on its nature and legitimacy. This book seeks to explore the importance of discretion to an understanding of the nature of the 'making of justice' in theory and practice, taking as its starting point the wide discretionary powers wielded by many of the key players in the criminal justice and related systems. It focuses on the core elements and contexts of discretion, looking at the power, ability, authority and duties of individuals, officials and organisations to decide, select or interpret vague standards, requirements or statutory uncertainties.
Download or read book Decision Making in Criminal Justice written by Michael R. Gottfredson and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of decisions in the criminal justice process provides a useful focus for the examination of many fundamental aspects of criminal jus tice. These decisions are not always highly visible. They are made, or dinarily, within wide areas of discretion. The aims of the decisions are not always clear, and, indeed, the principal objectives of these decisions are often the subject of much debate. Usually they are not guided by explicit decision policies. Often the participants are unable to verbalize the basis for the selection of decision alternatives. Adequate information for the decisions is usually unavailable. Rarely can the decisions be demonstrated to be rational. By a rationaldecision we mean "that decision among those possible for the decisionmaker which, in the light of the information available, maximizes the probability of the achievement of the purpose of the decisionmaker in that specific and particular case" (Wilkins, 1974a: 70; also 1969). This definition, which stems from statistical decision theory, points to three fundamental characteristics of decisions. First, it is as sumed that a choice of possible decisions (or, more precisely, of possible alternatives) is available. If only one choice is possible, there is no de cision problem, and the question of rationality does not arise. Usually, of course, there will be a choice, even if the alternative is to decide not to decide-a choice that, of course, often has profound consequences.
Download or read book The Decision making Network written by Patrick R. Anderson and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Decision-Making Network presents criminal justice to undergraduate students as a network of interrelated decisions made by diverse actors in multiple agencies. Legislative decisions about what should be the content of the criminal law, police officers'' decisions regarding investigation and arrest, prosecutors'' decisions regarding whether to prosecute and what charges to bring, judges'' decisions, appellate court decisions, juries'' decisions, correctional decisions ... all comprise the complex network of criminal justice. This text examines criminal justice decisions in historical context with attention to the Constitutional values and principles which undergird American criminal justice. Students learn how crises often drive the making of law, the development of policies, and the practice of criminal justice. It examines the tensions between civil liberties and public safety, and it introduces the challenges of terrorism, immigration, drug enforcement, and other emerging issues which confront the criminal justice decision maker. "There are many introduction to criminal justice textbooks; only a few can be considered "classics." This is one of those. When the late Don Newman conceived this text and when Pat Anderson joined him as a co-author, the approach was unique in getting students to consider not "what" criminal justice is but, rather, how decision-making at various points dynamically affects what we think of as the disparate segments of the criminal justice system. With the addition of Ris Slate in the contemporary version, the decision-making approach continues and is updated to today''s contentious times in which legislative decisions made for ideological reasons result in public expectations at odds with pragmatic criminal justice decisions in the field. One of the most difficult tasks in teaching criminal justice is getting students to understand how ideological views of crime affect the practical nature of decision-making on the streets, in the offices, and around the courtrooms. By introducing these ideas at the level of an introductory course, this text makes a professor''s job substantially easier." -- Frank P. Williams III, University of Houston-Downtown "The text presents the criminal justice system in a manner different than other texts--as a complicated network influenced by a variety of actors, many of whom are behind-the-scenes and perhaps motivated by interests other than public safety. This framework for the text is particularly useful, as it helps students to appreciate the complexity of case processing, and more importantly, to understand why things are done as they are done." -- Sharon Chamard, University of Alaska Anchorage "The Decision-Making Network is a refreshing alternative to the traditional introduction to criminal justice textbook. As an assistant professor teaching a minimum of four introductory level criminal justice courses per year I value the approach taken by Anderson and Slate in this new text. This book includes both the historical, procedural and constitutional issues necessary for a criminal justice textbook as well as a focus on the values and context surrounding the application of justice in our crime control system. The critical analysis of how social crisis drives public policy concerning crime control is especially inspiring and is sure to invigorate meaningful classroom discussion and enhance critical thinking skills in our students. This book provides not only an overview of the criminal justice system, as is expected of any introduction to criminal justice textbook, but also invites students to ask "Why does the system work the way it does?" and "Is this the best possible way of providing justice?" These are valuable skills for any student entering "the decision-making network" after graduation." -- Suzanne M. Godboldt, Ph.D., Mercyhurst College The Teacher''s Manual is available electronically on a CD or via email. Please contact Beth Hall at [email protected] to request a copy. PowerPoint slides are available upon adoption. Sample slides from the full, 658-slide presentation are available to view here. Email [email protected] for more information.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Offender Decision Making written by Wim Bernasco and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-05-08 with total page 777 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the issue of offender decision-making pervades almost every discussion of crime and law enforcement, only a few comprehensive texts cover and integrate information about the role of decision-making in crime. The Oxford Handbook of Offender Decision Making provide high-quality reviews of the main paradigms in offender decision-making, such as rational choice theory and dual-process theory. It contains up-to-date reviews of empirical research on decision-making in a wide range of decision types including not only criminal initiation and desistance, but also choice of locations, times, targets, victims, methods as well as large variety crimes including homicide, robbery, domestic violence, burglary, street crime, sexual crimes, and cybercrime. Lastly, it provides in-depth treatments of the major methods used to study offender decision-making, including experiments, observation studies, surveys, offender interviews, and simulations. Comprehensive and authoritative, the Handbook will quickly become the primary source of theoretical, methodological, and empirical knowledge about decision-making as it relates to criminal behavior.
Download or read book Out of Control Criminal Justice written by Daniel P. Mears and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-09-28 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book shows how to reduce out-of-control criminal justice and create greater public safety, justice, and accountability at less cost.
Download or read book Criminal Justice 2000 Policies processes and decisions of the criminal justice system written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 568 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Applying Psychology to Criminal Justice written by David Carson and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2007-08-20 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Few things should go together better than psychology and law - and few things are getting together less successfully. Edited by four psychologists and a lawyer, and drawing on contributions from Europe, the USA and Australia, Applying Psychology to Criminal Justice argues that psychology should be applied more widely within the criminal justice system. Contributors develop the case for successfully applying psychology to justice by providing a rich range of applicable examples for development now and in the future. Readers are encouraged to challenge the limited ambition and imagination of psychology and law by examining how insights in areas such as offender cognition and decision-making under pressure might inform future investigation and analysis.
Download or read book Decisions in the Penal Process written by A. Keith Bottomley and published by Fred B Rothman & Company. This book was released on 1973 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book United States Attorneys Manual written by United States. Department of Justice and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 720 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Crisis in America s Criminal Courts written by William R. Kelly and published by Applied Criminology across the Globe. This book was released on 2023-11-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book highlights the variety of problems that judges, prosecutors, and public defenders face within a criminal justice system that is ineffective, unfair, and extraordinarily expensive. Much of the dysfunction originates from crushing dockets and caseloads combined with the lack of time, expertise, and resources for effective decision-making.
Download or read book Police Powers and Citizens Rights written by Layla Skinns and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-01-31 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Police detention is the place where suspects are taken whilst their case is investigated and a case disposal decision is reached. It is also a largely hidden, but vital, part of police work and an under-explored aspect of police studies. This book provides a much-needed comparative perspective on police detention. It examines variations in the relationship between police powers and citizens’ rights inside police detention in cities in four jurisdictions (in Australia, England, Ireland and the US), exploring in particular the relative influence of discretion, the law and other rule structures on police practices, as well as seeking to explain why these variations arise and what they reveal about state-citizen relations in neoliberal democracies. This book draws on data collected in a multi-method study in five cities in Australia, England, Ireland and the US. This entailed 480 hours of observation, as well as 71 semi-structured interviews with police officers and detainees. Aside from filling in the gaps in the existing research, this book makes a significant contribution to debates about the links between police practices and neoliberalism. In particular, it examines the police, not just the prison, as a site of neoliberal governance. By combining the empirical with the theoretical, the main themes of the book are likely to be of utmost importance to contemporary discussions about police work in increasingly unequal societies. As a result, it will also have a wide appeal to scholars and students, particularly in criminology and criminal justice.
Download or read book The Bail Book written by Shima Baradaran Baughman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the causes for mass incarceration of Americans and calls for the reform of the bail system. Traces the history of bail, how it has come to be an oppressive tool of the courts, and makes recommendations for reforming the bail system and alleviating the mass incarceration problem.
Download or read book Comparative Perspectives on Criminal Justice in China written by Michael McConville and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 614 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Comparative Perspectives on Criminal Justice in China is highly recommended. The editors have assembled the leading Western and Chinese scholars in the field to examine the administration of criminal justice in China, showing both how far the system has come and the challenges that lie ahead. This is an important and timely book. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand or has to deal with the Chinese criminal justice system.' Klaus Mühlhahn, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany 'This highly informative and engaging volume on the Chinese criminal justice system today provides a window into the vagaries of law and its operation in the People's Republic. McConville and Pils bring together an impressive array of scholars whose studies span the criminal process. From initial police investigation, through to prosecution and sentencing of defendants, we see how dominant values in the Chinese state and its structures of power make the practice of criminal justice today still intensely political.' Susan Trevaskes, Griffith University, Australia Comparative Perspectives on Criminal Justice in China is an anthology of chapters on the contemporary criminal justice system in mainland China, bringing together the work of recognised scholars from China and around the world. The book addresses issues at various stages of the criminal justice process (investigation and prosecution of crime and criminal trial) as well as problems pertaining to criminal defence and to parallel systems of punishment. All of the contributions discuss the criminal justice system in the context of China's legal reforms. Several of the contributions urge the conclusion that the criminal process and related processes remain marred by overwhelming powers of the police and Party-State, and a chapter discussing China's 2012 revision of its Criminal Procedure Law argues that the revision is unlikely to bring significant improvement. This diverse comparative study will appeal to academics in Chinese law, society and politics, members of the human rights NGO and diplomatic communities as well as legal professionals interested in China.
Download or read book Decision making in the Criminal Justice System written by Don M. Gottfredson and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Jury Decision Making written by Dennis J. Devine and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2012-08-06 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While jury decision making has received considerable attention from social scientists, there have been few efforts to systematically pull together all the pieces of this research. In Jury Decision Making, Dennis J. Devine examines over 50 years of research on juries and offers a "big picture" overview of the field. The volume summarizes existing theories of jury decision making and identifies what we have learned about jury behavior, including the effects of specific courtroom practices, the nature of the trial, the characteristics of the participants, and the evidence itself. Making use of those foundations, Devine offers a new integrated theory of jury decision making that addresses both individual jurors and juries as a whole and discusses its ramifications for the courts. Providing a unique combination of broad scope, extensive coverage of the empirical research conducted over the last half century, and theory advancement, this accessible and engaging volume offers "one-stop shopping" for scholars, students, legal professionals, and those who simply wish to better understand how well the jury system works.
Download or read book Coordinating the Criminal Justice System written by Leslie J. Smith and published by University Press of America. This book was released on 2007-11-12 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This guide was developed to assist students, professors, executives of local criminal justice systems, and appointed and elected officials of general government to have a better understanding on how the criminal justice system should function. It may also be of special interest to citizens and public officials who sense that more collaboration and coordination is needed to enhance criminal justice decision making which, in turn, will have a positive impact on local criminal justice systems. Leslie J. Smith advocates that the performance of the criminal justice system should be measured in terms of achieving the goals and objectives of each component collectively. Although the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the U.S. government are constitutionally independent and not required to engage in any coordinated planning activities, these requirements should not lead to poor performance. It is essential to promote positive government through increased collaboration by identifying philosophical principles that will promote the participation of citizens, law enforcement, judiciary, prosecution, corrections, victims, treatment providers, and educators in the development of strategies to prevent, reduce and control crime. There are approximately twenty states throughout the United States that have fostered criminal justice collaborations of this type. The key to accomplishing this objective is effective leadership. This approach is growing in popularity and this book will assist in the further development of this strategy. This guide provides a step-by-step strategy that simplifies the aforementioned issues. It will be especially advantageous for newly appointed criminal coordinators, planners, and others that are charged with creating a hands-on approach to coordinating their local criminal justice processes. Above all, as criminal justice presses forward to the future, the guide will assist in "bridging the gap" between traditional and contemporary approaches to criminal justice plann
Download or read book Introduction to Criminal Investigation written by Michael Birzer and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2018-07-31 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The manner in which criminal investigators are trained is neither uniform nor consistent, ranging from sophisticated training protocols in some departments to on-the-job experience alongside senior investigators in others. Ideal for students taking a first course in the subject as well as professionals in need of a refresher, Introduction to Criminal Investigation uses an accessible format to convey concepts in practical, concrete terms. Topics discussed include: The history of criminal investigation in Western society Qualifications for becoming an investigator, the selection process, and ideal training requirements Crime scene search techniques, including planning and post-search debriefing Preparing effective field notes and investigative reports Interviewing and interrogating Types of evidence found at the crime scene and how to collect, package, and preserve it The contributions of forensic science to criminal investigations and the equipment used in crime labs Investigative protocol for a range of crimes, including property crimes, auto theft, arson, financial crimes, homicide, assault, sex crimes, and robbery Specialized investigations, including drug trafficking, cybercrime, and gang-related crime Legal issues involved in criminal investigations and preparing a case for trial Bringing together contributions from law enforcement personnel, academics, and attorneys, the book combines practical and theoretical elements to provide a comprehensive examination of today‘s criminal investigative process. The accessible manner in which the information is conveyed makes this an ideal text for a wide-ranging audience.
