Introduction to Criminal Justice: Practice and Process

A practical and applied introduction to criminal justice

Introduction to Criminal Justice: Practice and Process shows you how to think practically about the criminal justice system by offering you a proven, problem-based approach to learning.  Bestselling authors Kenneth J. Peak and Tamara D. Madensen draw on their many years of combined practitioner and academic experience to explain the importance of criminal justice and show how key trends, emerging issues, historical background, and practical lessons can be applied in the field.

New to the Third Edition:

• An emphasis on constitutional policing, legitimacy, and procedural justice stresses the importance for police to develop a "guardian" mindset over a "soldier" mindset.
• New discussions of contemporary criminological theories―such as social structure theories, social process theories, social conflict theories, feminist theories, and environmental criminology theories―provide you with a concise explanation on why people commit crimes and how to prevent them in the modern world.
• An in-depth view of three particularly challenging problems and policy issues―terrorism, the mentally ill population, and illegal immigration―demonstrate how today’s society and the criminal justice system are affected by these issues and what can be done to address the problems.
• New examples and case studies of ethical dilemmas illustrate today′s climate of distrust, dissension, and dysfunction to encourage you to think critically about what is considered "ethical". 
• New video interviews with criminal justice professionals offer you career advice, provide you with insights into a variety of career paths, and discuss challenges and misconceptions of each profession.

Kenneth J. Peak, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus and former chairman of the criminal justice department at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he was named “Teacher of the Year” by the UNR Honor Society and also served as acting director of public safety. He has authored or coauthored more than 40 books on community policing, introductory policing, justice administration, introduction to criminal justice, women in law enforcement, and police supervision and management; two historical books (on bootlegging and temperance); and more than 60 journal articles and additional book chapters on a wide range of justice-related subjects. He has served as chairman of the Police Section, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and a past president of the Western Association of Criminal Justice. Prior to coming to UNR, Dr. Peak held positions as a municipal police officer, nine-county criminal justice planner; and director of a four-state Technical Assistance Institute. He also served twice as a chief of university police and as an assistant professor at Wichita State University (five years). He received two gubernatorial appointments to statewide criminal justice committees while in Kansas and holds a doctorate from the University of Kansas.

Tamara D. Herold is an associate professor of criminal justice and graduate director at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). She holds a doctorate from the University of Cincinnati. Her research interests include crime opportunity structures, place management, and crowd violence. She is the recipient of UNLV’s Spanos Distinguished Teaching Award, Faculty Excellence Award, and Greenspun College of Urban Affairs Teaching Award. Her publications propose, extend, or test crime science theoretical models. They also help to translate research findings into practice and policy. Her work has appeared in various outlets, including Criminology and Justice Quarterly. She has published numerous practitioner-focused research papers, including two Problem-Oriented Policing Guides funded by the COPS Office and research monographs selected as Herman Goldstein Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing Award finalists. Her book Preventing Crowd Violence (co-edited with Johannes Knutsson), has been translated into two foreign languages. Dr. Herold serves as director of UNLV’s Crowd Management Research Council, and conducts research and training for police agencies, major sports leagues, and private industries.