Introduction to Criminal Justice - by Charis E Kubrin & Thomas D Stucky (Paperback)

About the Book

Approaches the theories, organization, and practices of criminal justice from a sociological perspective so that students can simultaneously develop expertise in criminal justice and understand how issues related to the police, courts, and corrections are informed by broader sociological principles and concepts.

Book Synopsis

Introduction to Criminal Justice is the first textbook to approach theories and practices of criminal justice from a sociological perspective. It empowers students to develop expertise in criminal justice and understand how its central tenets are informed by broader sociological principles and concepts, such as power, race, gender, and class.

This text is organized around five themes: justice, police, courts, corrections, and crime control. Offering both foundational and contemporary texts, theoretical and empirical discussions, and quantitative and qualitative approaches, the readings underscore the inextricable relationship between social structures and the criminal justice system. This comprehensive text will expose students to some of the best thinking and research in the field.

Review Quotes

"Criminal justice represents the biggest clash between noble ideals and raging inequalities in the social world. As students learn the rules of the game and its key players--police, courts, and corrections--they should also understand how the system can simultaneously serve the cause of justice and lead to injustices. Kubrin and Stucky have marshaled a marvelous collection for presenting criminal justice in this sociological light."--Christopher Uggen, University of Minnesota

"The best textbooks identify critical issues in the field and then provide thought-provoking, evidence-based studies that ground the issues in what we know. Kubrin and Stucky's Introduction to Criminal Justice does just this. Students are exposed to some of the best thinking and research produced by scholars with diverse ideas on how to prevent and control crime in our society."--John Hagan, Northwestern University

"This exceptional collection of readings, and the thoughtful and engaging introductions by the editors, will contextualize contemporary debates and enrich class discussions about the societal institutions, structures, and actors that together shape our criminal justice system."--Marjorie Zatz, Arizona State University

About the Author

Charis E. Kubrin is Associate Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine, and coeditor of Punishing Immigrants: Policy, Politics, and Injustice (2012) and Crime: Readings (2007), now in its third edition. Thomas D. Stucky is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), Indiana University-Purdue University, and author of Urban Politics, Crime Rates, and Police Strength (2005). They are coauthors of Researching Theories of Crime and Deviance (2008), with Marvin D. Krohn.