Making Sense of Criminal Justice

Book excerpt: As they learn about the criminal justice system, students often hear that "nothing works." Enter Making Sense of Criminal Justice--an innovative and insightful textbook that meets the needs of both criminal justice policy courses and undergraduate capstone courses (sometimes called "senior seminars"). Beginning with an outline of the crime control and due process models, G. Larry Mays and Rick Ruddell have organized the book around the three major components of the criminal justice system (police, courts, and corrections). This topical, issues-oriented approach encourages students to think critically about major dilemmas faced by participants in the system, from issues of race and gender to the use of the death penalty. Working from a balanced viewpoint, the authors argue that criminal justice is inherently a political process; they examine strategies that work, those that do not work, and those that represent a gray area between the two extremes. Rather than providing students with "the answers," Mays and Ruddell challenge them to think critically about how we deal with situations--such as the use of force by the police--and offer a framework for lively classroom discussions and debates. End-of-chapter key terms, critical-thinking review questions, and recommended readings enhance students' understanding of the material and aid in test preparation.