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An Introduction to Criminal Justice
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An Introduction to Criminal Justice

Second Edition
Edited by:


April 2025 | 472 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

A must-buy for any student of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Policing, An Introduction to Criminology will guide you through the historical development and contemporary operation of criminal justice, and the role played by politics, power, policy, procedure, and people in shaping its past and present form.

This second edition examines the agencies, institutions and organisations that deliver criminal justice in England and Wales, and assesses their impact on crime, offending, victimisation, disorder and social harm. The book reviews the systems, processes, policies, and procedures that operate in each, evaluates the checks and balances that aim to maintain due process, fairness, and justice, and provides insight into the various attempts to make improvements to criminal justice over time.

Completely revised and updated, the book includes new chapters on Community Justice, Criminal Justice/Injustice, Race and Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice and Mental Health, and Artificial Intelligence and Criminal Justice to ensure the full span of contemporary issues is thoroughly explored. This book also:

  • Explores global and international dimensions as well as the futures of criminal justice
  • Incorporates practitioner experiences and voices to bring students closer to real-world practice
  • Includes learning features to kick start your curiosity and criticality including reading suggestions, case studies, self-study questions, and a comprehensive glossary
Pamela Davies, Peter Francis
1. Criminal Justice in England and Wales
Pamela Davies and Peter Francis
Part One: Criminal Justice in Context
Thomas Guiney
2. Criminal Justice Since 1945: A Brief History
Jordan Cashmore and Ian Mahoney
3. Definitions and the Counting of Crime
Hannah Bows
4. Characteristics of Offenders and Crime Types
Andromachi Tseloni and James Hunter
5. Researching Criminal Justice
Marianne Colbran
6. Media, Crime and Criminal Justice
Pamela Davies, Peter Francis
Part Two: The Operation and Practice of Criminal Justice
Pamela Davies
7. Community Justice
Liam Ralph and Mike Rowe
8. The Police
Timi Osidipe and Bankole Cole
9. Criminal Courts, Prosecution and Sentencing
Charlotte Bilby
10. Imprisonment
Harriet Pierpoint
11. Parole and Release from Prison
Tim Bateman
12. Youth Justice
Jamie Harding
13. Dealing with Complaints and Misconduct
Pamela Davies, Peter Francis
Part Three: Key Challenges in Criminal Justice
Sam Poyser, Angus Nurse, and Rebecca Milne
14. Criminal Justice/Injustice
Pamela Davies
15. Supporting Victims and Witnesses
Imran Awan and Pelham Carter
16. Race and Criminal Justice
Heidi Hales, Natasha Kalebic and Andrew Forrester
17. Criminal Justice and Mental Health
Pamela Ugwudike
18. Artificial Intelligence and Criminal Justice

There is an interesting choice of topics.
I did not make this compulsory as some authors do not provide exact references with author, year and page. This gives a bad example to first year students.

Professor Stefan Machura
School of Social Sciences, Bangor University
June 25, 2025

Sample Materials & Chapters

Defining and Counting Crime


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ISBN: 9781529630091
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