The Criminal Justice Network: An Introduction

Steven Cox and John Wade provide a straightforward, practical overview of the complexities of the U.S. criminal justice system. This brief text presents the system as a dynamic network that is a part of a larger wholeits relationship with the public, the effects of politics on its day to day operations, and the necessary role of discretion throughout the system. The third edition has been thoroughly updated with current references and examples.

Dr. Steven M. Cox earned his Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign in 1971. He has been a professor in the Department of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration at Western Illinois University since 1975. During that time he was selected as Visiting Research Professor at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, where he spent one year. Dr. Cox has served as a consultant to the Illinois Law Enforcement Standards and Training Board; the National Police Administration, Taiwan; and to numerous law enforcement agencies in the Midwest. He has also been an assessor for the national Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and a trainer in juvenile justice, community policing, cultural sensitivity/awareness, and racial profiling. He is author or co-author of the following books: Police: Practices, Problems, Perspectives (Allyn and Bacon); Police in Community: Critical Issues. 3/e, Brown/Benchmark. Juvenile Justice: A Guide to Theory and Practice, 4/e, Brown/Benchmark. The Criminal Justice Network: An Introduction, 3/e, McGraw-Hill; Research Methods in Criminal Justice: An Introduction, 3/e, Nelson Hall; Policing in the New Millennium, Allyn and Bacon.

John E. Wade is the Chair of the Criminal Justice Department at Southeast Missouri State University. He is a member of the Midwest Governor's Task Force on Methamphetamine and recently developed MEDFELS (Meth Education for Elementary Schools), a drug prevention program. Wade has over 25 years of teaching experience and has been active in service and outreach throughout his career. He currently serves on the executive board for Southeast Missouri Weed and Seed, Inc.