The Criminal Justice System and the Case of Alvin Ford
Based on the case of Alvin Ford, an American death row inmate, this thought-provoking book focuses on the issues raised when the criminal justice system attempts to apply the death penalty to the mentally impaired. Issues addressed include: the definition of mental illness for the purposes of exemption from execution; the evaluation of competence for execution by mental health professionals; the consequences of disagreements among health professionals about a defendant's mental status; and the fate of prisoners who are exempted. Ford's unique case leads the authors to examine more general issues such as the involvement of health professionals in modern capital sentencing, as well as the administration of the death penalty in the United States today.
Psychosocial and Legal Perspectives on Mothers Who Kill
Written to help remedy today's dearth of up-to-date, research-based literature, this unique volume brings together a multidisciplinary group of 17 experts who focus on the psychiatric perspective of this tragic cause of infant death.
Explores the interaction of race and law enforcement in the controversial area of hate crime. Bell includes in her work the experiences of detectives who are women, Black, Latino, and Asian American, exploring the impact of the racial identity of both the hate crime victim and the officers' handling of bias crimes.
This work challenges one of Western culture's most deeply-help assumptions: that violence against women is different from violence against men. It argues that this type of violence is rarely the result of sexism or hatred against women and that sexism may actually inhibit violence against women.
Discusses First Amendment freedom of expression versus government attempts to limit the availability of erotic materials. This book raises questions about federal abuse of power, the effects of pornography, archaic laws that attempt to regulate sexuality between consenting adults, and the interplay between sex and religion.
Over 500 Answers to Frequently Asked Questions from Law Enforcement to Corrections
This reference work provides basic information, descriptions, and explanations of how laws governing criminal behavior are made and enforced, and corrections for those who violate criminal law.''''Where do police get their power over citizens?''Who polices the police?''What is the difference between parole and probation?''What is the recidivism rate for prisoners?''What is the difference between civil and criminal law?''What is an arraignment?''''''Answers to these and over 500 more questions are found in CQAEs Desk Reference on American Criminal Justice. This is the only book in a reference format that provides quick access and easy-to-find information for students and citizens who need to acquire a basic and comprehensive understanding of our system of law enforcement, courts in the context of criminal law, and corrections. Supporting the curriculum for criminal justice as it is studied in American government, history, and law enforcement courses in high schools and colleges, this reference volume will also cover any questions your patrons and students may have on public issues such as police brutality, prison reform, and juvenile justice.''
Taking as its theme the theory and practice of criminal responsibility, this text asks why killers deserve punishment, and how the law should decide. The author argues that people deserve punishment according to the evil they choose to do, regardless of their psychological capacities.
Why Our System of Criminal Trials Has Become an Expensive Failure and What We Need to Do to Rebuild It
A study of the US criminal-justice system which argues that it places far too great an emphasis on winning and not nearly enough on truth. The author focuses on ways in which lawyers are permitted to dominate trials, the system's preference for weak judges, and the absurdities of plea bargaining.
This volume examines racism within the process of criminal justice. In every society criminal justice plays a key role establishing social control and maintaining the hegemony of the dominant economic classes. The contributors to this anthology argue that the differential treatment of people of colour and First Nations peoples is due to systemic ......
