The US Criminal Justice System

Sarah Koon-Magnin is Associate Professor of Political Science and Criminal Justice at University of South Alabama, USA. Ryan J. Williams is Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of New England, USA

Preface

Chapter 1: Background and History

Introduction

Criminal Law in the United States

The United States Criminal Justice System

Funnel of Criminal Justice

Goals of the Criminal Justice System

Weighing Individual Rights vs. Public Order/Security

Crime Data

Policing in the United States

State and Local Law Enforcement

Federal Law Enforcement Agencies

Law Enforcement Collaboration

Law Enforcement and the Law

Warrants

Detention, Arrest, and Miranda

Courts in the United States

Jurisdiction and Organization of U.S. Courts

Federal Court Jurisdiction, Structure, and Organization

State Courts Jurisdiction, Structure, and Organization

State Judicial Selection

The Attorneys: Prosecutors and Public Defenders

Pre-Trial Activities

The Trial Process

Sentencing

Corrections in the United States

The Development of Corrections

Early Prison Reform Efforts

Correctional Facilities

Correctional Officers

Juvenile Justice System

Conclusion

Chapter 2: Problems, Controversies, and Solutions

Introduction

Current Issues in Policing

Racial Disparities in Criminal Justice Outcomes

Police Accountability

Body-Worn Cameras

Forensic Science

Current Issues in the Criminal Courts

Pretrial Issues, Bail Reform, and Grand Jury Reform

Money/Cash Bail
Grand Juries

Prosecutorial Discretion and Plea Bargaining

Indigent Defense/Public Defenders' Offices
Politics and the Judiciary

Current Issues in Corrections

Private Prisons

Solitary Confinement

Reentry Issues, including Felon Disenfranchisement

Restorative Justice

Issues in the Treatment of Crime Victims

Sexual Assault Kit Initiative

Trauma-Informed Care

Sources

Chapter 3: Perspectives

Two Measures of Crime in the United States by Rachel E. Morgan
Racial Bias and the Dual Purpose of Traffic Stops by Alexander Love
Case Clearance by Scott M. Walfield and Cassidy Fitz-Randolph
Inside a Drug Court by Joyce Morrissette
Advocacy by Laury Rowland

Chapter 4: Profiles

Historical Development
August Vollmer
George Kelling
Zebulon Brockway and the Elmira Reformatory
Edwin Sutherland

Moments of Significant Change

The Warren Court and the Due Process Revolution

Crime Victims Rights Movement

Angela Davis and Ruth Wilson Gilmore

Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI)

Department of Homeland Security

Organizations Related to the Criminal Justice System

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

The Innocence Project.
Death Penalty Innocence Project
Sentencing-Related Organizations

Sources

Chapter 5: Data and Documents

Data

Areas in the Criminal Justice System in which Discretion is Exercised

Rate of Property Crime from 1985 to 2020

Rate of Violent Crime from 1985 to 2020

Total Number of Incarcerated persons 1978 through 2019

State and Local Expenditures on Criminal Justice Per Capita, 2021

Reasons Respondents Chose to Report Violent Victimization to Police

Reasons Respondents Chose to Report Property Victimization to Police

Reasons Respondents Chose Not to Report Violent Victimization to Police

Reasons Respondents Chose Not to Report Property Victimization to Police

Recidivism Rates Following Release from Prison

Treatment Courts in the United States

Felon Disenfranchisement Laws by State

Public Defender Crisis in the United States

Documents

The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
The USA PATRIOT Act
First Step Act of 2018
Mapp v. Ohio
Gideon v. Wainwright
Miranda v. Arizona
Excerpt from the Interview Protocol for the NCVS


Chapter 6: Resources


Chapter 7: Chronology

Glossary

About the Authors

Index