This bulletin on criminal justice focuses on selected aspects of the U.S. legal system, including the police, the courts, and the prisons as well as on the protections and guarantees that reinforce the legitimacy of the U.S. legal process. Unit 1, "The Role of Law in a Free Society," is designed to enhance the awareness of students about…

This document contains several essays on topics of interest to researchers of rehabilitative efforts. The subjects covered include an historical look at chronic delinquents and their treatment programs; a review of West European programs; legal constraints on intervention; a review of evidence concerning biological contributions to criminality and…

The goals and standards for pretrial release are designed to provide guidance and direction to those individuals working in the criminal justice system who are responsible for attempts at reduction of inequity and ambiguity in release and diversion practices. The materials in this collection deal with the following areas of concern: (1) due…

The goal of this booklet is to assist debaters in developing problem-solving skills as represented in the 1976-77 debate topic: How can the criminal justice system in the United States best be improved? The sections of this document focus on the need for criminal justice reform; procedural steps in the criminal justice system; discussing or…

Three major aspects of mental retardation and criminal justice are examined: myths frequently associated with the relationship of mental retardation and criminality; mistreatment of the mentally retarded offender in the criminal justice system; and the perils of reform in the field of mental retardation and criminal justice. (Author)

Results of a survey of state attorneys general (N=46) found that, with few exceptions, identification of persons with mental retardation in criminal justice is neither systematic nor probable. Protections lie in statutes pertaining to mental illness rather than to mental retardation. (Author/DB)

This study demonstrates that criminal justice education is interdisciplinary only to the limited extent it integrates the law, the social sciences, and its vocational and technical aspects. In order to integrate the humanities in criminal justice education, the educators must be educated. (Author/LMO)

Recent Supreme Court decisions are discussed. Included are cases dealing with the powers of police to make arrests and conduct searches without first obtaining warrants, criminal law and procedure, equal rights for women, prison conditions, nuclear power plans, and the tax-exempt status of private schools. (RM)

This report describes the development of the juvenile justice system in the United States. It uses current data to look at where it is heading, and the recent trend of transferring certain juvenile cases to adult criminal court. Section 1 explains that the juvenile justice system was founded on the concept of rehabilitation through individualized…

Presents an overview of the information available on Black women in the criminal justice system, highlights their statistical profile at several stages in the system, their unique problems, and future directions for research, programs, and policies. (Author/JCD)

Presents descriptive data on a 5-year cohort of 20 adolescent murderers from England and Wales, and provides an outline of their pathway through the criminal justice system together with a framework for their ongoing individual therapy. Suggests refinement of categories of juvenile homicide and increased information sharing among professionals.…

Changes in homicide and arrest rates were compared among cohorts born before and after legalization of abortion and those who were unexposed to legalized abortion. It was found that legalized abortion improved the lives of many women as they could avoid unwanted births.

The origin and enforcement of criminal law are central to the sociological study of crime, yet we know relatively little about how the coercive apparatus of criminalization is actualized through prosecutorial and court practices. We use Bourdieu's extension of Weber's analysis of law to develop a perspective on fields of practice, the juridical…

This paper presents comments on Kassin's review, (see record 2005-03019-002) of the psychology of false confessions. The authors note that Kassin's review makes a compelling argument for the need for legal reform in police interrogation practices. Because his work strikes at the heart of the American criminal justice system--its fairness--the…

Objective: To understand how the Swedish legal system perceives and handles mentally handicapped children who may have been victimized. Method: Twenty-two judicial districts in Sweden provided complete files on 39 District Court cases (including the Appeals Court files on 17 of these cases) involving children with learning difficulties or other…