Criminal Courts : Structure, Process, and Issues - Hardcover

Rabe, Gary A.; Champion, Dean J.

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9780137803880: Criminal Courts : Structure, Process, and Issues

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0137803885 ISBN 13: 9780137803880

Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2001

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Unlike other available books on the subject, this introduction to criminal courts is shorter and more concise — yet more comprehensive— and is extensively illustrated with interesting examples and up-to-date factual information. It explores in detail the origin, evolution, and emergence of the three major components of contemporary criminal courts in the United States — law enforcement; prosecution and the courts; and corrections. Considers media impact on juries and trial outcomes -- focusing on several “trials of the century” ,including the Menendez brothers, O.J. Simpson, John Scopes, and Bruno Richard Hauptmann. Explains jury consultants and jury member selection techniques. Features a detailed discussion of eyewitness testimony. Discusses plea bargaining and pleas bargaining issues. Details sentencing schemes and sentencing issues. For anyone interested in the contemporary criminal court system in the U.S.

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From the Back Cover:

Key features of Criminal Courts: Structure, Process, and Issues include:

Concise synopsis of the history of American courts, featuring the judicial system and key courtroom actors
Up-to-date box materials supplementing text, featuring key issues and relevant themes of different aspects of court procedures
Comprehensive discussion of pretrial procedures, motions, bases for appeals, and alternatives to criminal prosecution, including alternative dispute resolution, pretrial diversion, and restorative justice
Extensive coverage and comparison of state and federal court systems
Comprehensive discussion of juvenile courts, juvenile rights, and the juvenile justice process
Detailed discussion of key courtroom actors, including prosecutors, defense counsels, and judges, and how each are elected or appointed
Comprehensive discussion of plea bargaining, plea bargaining controversies and ethical considerations, and plea bargaining bans in different jurisdictions
Complete discussion of the jury system in the United States, including jury selection, jury deliberations, and jury issues including jury nullification, use of jury consultants, and juror misconduct
Complete discussion of the trial process, including opening and closing arguments, examination and cross-examination, and other aspects of presentation of testimony and evidence
Comprehensive discussion of American courts, their interplay with the media, and how the media have changed courtroom procedures
Extensive discussion of key federal and state cases concerning court actions and defendants' rights
Discussion of major sentencing systems, including indeterminate, determinate, mandatory, and guideline-based or presumptive sentencing
Questions for review at chapter ends, including listings of key terms featured, and suggested readings for further student inquiry

About the Author:

Dean John Champion is Professor of Criminal Justice, Texas A & M International University; Laredo, Texas. Dr. Champion has taught at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, California State University-Long Beach, and Minot State University. He earned his Ph.D. from Purdue University and B.S. and M.A. degrees from Brigham Young University. He also completed several years of law school at the Nashville School of Law.

Dr. Champion has written over 35 texts and/or edited works and maintains memberships in eleven professional organizations. He is a lifetime member of the American Society of Criminology, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and the American Sociological Association. He is a former editor of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences/Anderson Publishing Company Series on Issues in Crime and Justice and the Journal of Crime and Justice. He is a contributing author for the Encarta Encyclopedia 2000 for Microsoft. He has been a Visiting Scholar for the National Center for Juvenile Justice and is a former president of the Midwestern Criminal Justice Association. He has also designed and/or offered numerous online courses for the University of Phoenix, Excelsior University, and the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.

Among his published books for Prentice-Hall include Administration of Criminal Justice: Structure, Function, and Process (2003); Basic Statistics for Social Research (1970, 1981); Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology 3/e (1993, 2000, 2006); The Juvenile Justice System: Delinquency, Processing, and the Law 4/e (1992, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 forthcoming); Corrections in the United States: A Contemporary Perspective 4/e (1990, 1998, 2001, 2005); Probation, Parole, and Community Corrections 5/e (1990, 1996, 1999, 2005); Policing in the Community (w/George Rush) (1996); and The Administration of Justice Systems (2001). Dr. Champion's specialty interests include juvenile justice, criminal justice administration, corrections, and statistics/methods.

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