Civil Liability in Criminal Justice

Close to 60,000 civil lawsuits are filed annually against criminal justice practitioners. This increasing litigation poses a significant problem for law enforcement and other personnel who must ensure they are performing their legal duties within the boundaries of case law. In brief, they not only need a working knowledge of criminal law but a firm grasp on the civil law process as well. Civil Liability in Criminal Justice provides valuable advice and protection to future officers and correctional system employees, introducing them to civil liability generally and the federal law specifically, while indicating steps that can be taken to minimize risks. The text clearly outlines the specific precedents to which both individual staff members and entire agencies must adhere and provides court decisions in common and high-liability areas.

This text is one of few on the subject that combines applicable case law and related liability research, a valuable new feature for current and future policy makers and managers. It also provides an overview of current case law in high- liability areas, enhancing student knowledge and practitioner job performance. An enhanced ancillary package now offers support to both students and their instructors as they work to master this complex topic. Exercises based on ethical dilemmas and evidence-based assessments of likely trouble spots in organizational training and policy prepare the reader to avoid costly legal action in the complex worlds of policing and corrections.

* Hundreds of cases are referenced throughout the text, including the latest U.S. Supreme Court decisions in civil liability suits against police and corrections officers and their agencies * Provides richly documented research findings regarding recent trends in litigation and financial penalties * Includes current thinking on avoiding lawsuits through training and policy development

Understanding case law in high liability areas and performing the job within a legal framework place a criminal justice agency in the best position to defend against a lawsuit. This handbook addresses the problems confronting criminal justice practitioners and their agencies due to the ever-increasing number of civil liability lawsuits. It introduces the reader to civil liability generally and the federal law specifically, while indicating steps that can be taken to minimize the risk of litigation.

Civil Liability in Criminal Justice is one of very few texts on the subject that combines applicable case law and related liability research, a valuable feature for current and future policy makers and managers. Ross also provides an overview of current case law in high liability areas, enhancing student knowledge and practitioner job performance.