Civil Liability in Criminal Justice

The increasing litigation against criminal justice practitioners in the United States poses a significant problem for law enforcement and other personnel. Law enforcement and corrections professionals need to have a working knowledge of both criminal law and the civil law process to ensure that they are performing their duties within the limits of the law. Civil Liability in Criminal Justice, 7th Edition, provides valuable information and recommendations to current and future officers and correctional system employees, introducing them to civil liability and federal law, as well as recommending strategies that can be taken to minimize risks.

Civil Liability in Criminal Justice is unique in its combination of applicable case law and related liability research, while still providing an overview of current case law in high-liability areas. This new edition, revised to include up-to-date United States Supreme Court cases, including liability trends on the use of force, arrest-related deaths, custodial suicides in detention, qualified immunity, and the outcomes of the Department of Justice and the application of Section 14141, additional context for liability issues, and extended coverage of collective bargaining and public perception, is a valuable resource for enhancing student knowledge and practitioner job performance.

The text is suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses in Criminal Justice programs as well as for in-service and academy training. Ross offers an engaging, accessible introduction to this aspect of the US criminal justice system.

Darrell L. Ross, Ph.D., is Professor and Department Head of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice, and Director of the Center for Applied Social Sciences (CASS) at Valdosta State University, USA. Ross worked for the Michigan Department of Corrections as an officer, cell block supervisor of mentally impaired prisoners, probation officer, and instructor in the training academy, and taught in the Police Academy at Ferris State University as a certified instructor teaching subject control techniques, human factors, mechanics of arrest, and responding to the mentally ill person. He was the Director of the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration at Western Illinois University and served on the faculty and as chair of the criminal justice program at East Carolina University. Ross has published five books, more than 95 articles, book chapters, and monographs, and has provided expert witness services since 1987.