Criminal Justice Guide

After five decades of punitive expansion, the entire U.S. criminal justice system-- mass incarceration, the War on Drugs, police practices, the treatment of juveniles and the mentally ill, glaring racial disparity, the death penalty and more -- faces challenging questions. What exactly is criminal justice? How much of it is a system of law and how much is a collection of situational social practices? What roles do the Constitution and the Supreme Court play? How do race and gender shape outcomes? How does change happen, and what changes or adaptations should be pursued?

This book explores the criminal justice career landscape by providing a glimpse into the different criminal justice careers and provides advice as to how to prepare to enter those career fields. This book includes personal profiles that exemplify real work in the criminal justice profession; these have been written by current employees, some retired and some by exemplary leaders in the field.