Crime and Justice in America

Crime and Justice in America: Critical Issues of the Future is a part of the Pergamon Policy Studies and is divided in five parts reflecting five broad problem areas. This collection is from authors chosen based on their exposure to the field of criminal justice and proven expertise in a particular area. The book deals with the forecasting ability of the police for developments over the whole field of public affairs.

The first part is concerned with public law enforcement on local, county, state, and national government levels of the American federal system. A particular problem is discussed on each of these levels. The second problem area concerns the most confusing segment of the justice system – the move from the public to the private sector of criminal justice. The growth of campus, school police, and other private police is suggested to assist the public sector. The third part deals with organized crime, terrorism, and hostage negotiations as being grave threats to society. To fight them requires cooperation, even consolidation, and intelligence sources. Organized crime is discussed in the fourth section, where American penal laws are seemingly a reflection of religious mores. The last section covers personnel matters in the criminal justice system and anticipated developments after achieving professionalism in the police and correctional services.

This book is intended for scholars, practitioners, and students of criminal justice. This text can prove useful to practitioners in the fields of sociology, psychology, and public administration. This book is also recommended for investigators and private citizens interested in the study of criminal justice.