Introduction to Criminal Justice

This encyclopedia provides a rigorous and comprehensive summary of correctional systems and practices and their evolution throughout US history. Topics include sentencing norms and contemporary developments; differences between local jails and prisons and regional, state, and federal systems; violent and nonviolent inmate populations; operations of state and federal prisons, including well-known prisons such as ADX-Florence, Alcatrez, Attica, Leavenworth, and San Quentin; privately run, for-profit prisons as well as the companies that run them; inmate culture, including prisoner-generated social hierarchies, prisoner slang, gangs, drug use, and violence; prison trends and statistics, including racial, ethnic, age, gender, and educational breakdowns; the death penalty; and post-incarceration outcomes, including recidivism. The set showcases contributions from some of the leading scholars in the fields of correctional systems and practices and will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning more about American prisons, jails, and community corrections.

The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice is an international, comprehensive reference tool for the field of Criminology and Criminal Justice that is both cutting edge as well as of very high scientific quality and prestige. This 10-volume work provides a complete and systematic coverage of the field that is unprecedented.  The Encyclopedia "defines the field" through its choice of organization and entries. It identifies and brings emerging ideas and trends to the forefront. The Encyclopedia covers Criminology and Criminal Justice in ten broad areas, with leading researchers writing substantive contributions within their area of expertise: Corrections and Criminal Justice Supervision in the Community Courts, Sentencing and the Judicial System Crimes, Criminals and Victims Crime Places and Situations Explanations for Criminal Behavior Forensic Science Data, Methods, and Statistics Police and Law Enforcement Psychology of Law Social Interventions and Prevention This work features approximately 600 entries, organized in alphabetical order. The work is comprised under the direction of two Editors-in-Chief in consultation with 12 Associate Editors and more than 180 Area Editors. It is an essential and dynamic reference for researchers in the fields of Criminology and Criminal Justice, as well as useful a research tool for those in related fields of the social and behavioral sciences.