Introduction to Criminal Justice – A Sociological Perspective

Introduction to Criminal Justice is the first textbook to approach theories and practices of criminal justice from a sociological perspective. It empowers students to develop expertise in criminal justice and understand how its central tenets are informed by broader sociological principles and concepts, such as power, race, gender, and class.

This text is organized around five themes: justice, police, courts, corrections, and crime control. Offering both foundational and contemporary texts, theoretical and empirical discussions, and quantitative and qualitative approaches, the readings underscore the inextricable relationship between social structures and the criminal justice system. This comprehensive text will expose students to some of the best thinking and research in the field.

Charis E. Kubrin is Associate Professor of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California, Irvine, and coeditor of Punishing Immigrants: Policy, Politics, and Injustice (2012) and Crime: Readings (2007), now in its third edition. Thomas D. Stucky is Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), Indiana University-Purdue University, and author of Urban Politics, Crime Rates, and Police Strength (2005). They are coauthors of Researching Theories of Crime and Deviance (2008), with Marvin D. Krohn.