Pursuing Justice: Traditional and Contemporary Issues in Our Communities and the World

Pursuing Justice, Second Edition, examines the issue of justice by considering the origins of the idea, formal systems of justice, current global issues of justice, and ways in which justice might be achieved by individuals, organizations, and the global community. Part 1 demonstrates how the idea of justice has emerged over time, starting with religion and philosophy, then moving to the justice as a concern of the state, and finally to the concept of social justice. Part 2 outlines the very different mechanisms used by various nations for achieving state justice, including systems based on common law, civil law, and Islamic law, with a separate discussion of the US justice system. Part 3 focuses on four contemporary issues of justice: war, genocide, slavery, and the environment. Finally, Part 4 shows how individuals and organizations can go about pursuing justice, and describes the rise of global justice.

This updated timely book helps students understand the complexities and nuances of a society's pursuit of justice. It provides students with the foundations of global justice systems, integrating Greek philosophies and major religious perspectives into a justice perspective, and contributes to undergraduate understanding of international justice bodies, NGOs, and institutions.

• New edition is completely updated and revised to achieve relevance for today's students
• Covers concepts of justice as well as ideas for pursuing and achieving justice
• Examines how our modern laws began, and traces their evolution to today's laws
• Presents concepts and issues in justice studies as well as a comparison of several systems of law
• Teaching resources include discussion questions and real-world examples
• Online supplements include instructor's guides, PowerPoint slides, and review questions

Dr. Ralph A. Weisheit is a Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice at Illinois State University. Weisheit has conducted extensive research on illicit drugs, rural crime, and rural justice, and is the author of eight books and numerous journal articles, book chapters, and solicited essays.

Dr. Frank Morn, Professor Emeritus at Illinois State University, is the author of a variety of textbooks on criminal justice and its history. He has won three teaching awards while at the University of Illinois (1980, 1982) and Illinois State University (2000). Morn, who was a Fulbright scholar posted in Lanzhou, China, has also done consulting for criminal justices agencies in England, Spain, and Russia.