Overview of the Textbook

The revised tenth edition of this core textbook provides an understanding of major world criminal justice systems by discussing and comparing the systems of six of the world’s countries - each representative of a different type of legal system. England, France, Japan, South Africa, Russia, and China are all covered in detail, and an additional chapter on Islamic law uses three example nations to illustrate the range of practice within Sharia. Political, historical, organizational, procedural, and critical issues confronting the justice systems are explained and analyzed. Neatly organized with a parallel structure throughout the text, each chapter contains material on government, police, judiciary, law, corrections, juvenile justice, and other critical issues.

Focus on Political World Order

A new feature of this text focuses on the nature of the political world order and the significant clash between some democratic and authoritarian governments. Of particular concern are those authoritarian governments that have seen the rise of what has been popularly referred to as the strongman leader. The countries covered in this text have seen the emergence of four such strongmen. While the rise of each occurred in different contexts, they were each facilitated in significant ways by the manner in which they asserted their control over the country’s criminal justice system.

Target Audience and Resources

This book is suitable for undergraduate and graduate students in criminal justice, prelaw, and similar programs. A comprehensive test bank is available online.