Criminal Courts: Structure, Process, And Issues

Provides a comprehensive examination of the criminal court system, from the basic pretrial procedures, to the trial process, to the sentencing and appeals. Examining all angles, it begins with a discussion of the law and its origins, compares the federal and state court systems, and examines the key courtroom personnel. Separate chapters on the juvenile justice system and the courts and the media round out the book’s coverage. References to key cases, articles from local newspapers and examples of real courts in action add practicality and a deeper understanding of the structure, process and issues surrounding criminal courts today. Comparison of state and federal court systems. Explains the diverse court systems that exist on the state and local level and the more consistent organization of the federal level. Comprehensive examination of the trial process. Discusses the difference between “bench” and “jury” trials, where either the judge or the jury will decide on their case. Includes opening and closing arguments, examination and cross-examination, and other aspects of presentation of testimony and evidence. Discussion of the major sentencing systems. Explains the differences between indeterminate, determinate, mandatory, and guidelines-based or presumptive sentencing. Separate discussion of the juvenile court system. Examines the language that applies to juvenile processing and highlights similarities and differences between the juvenile and criminal justice systems. A chapter on the courts and the media. Shows how the Internet and television are used in the courtroom and examines the role it has played in the increase in litigation today.  Key state and federal cases concerning court actions and defendant rights. Highlights important case law that has impacted the way courts process offenders. Law Enforcement professionals and those involved or interested in the criminal court system.

            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.