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Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Modern Approach, First Edition

Authors
  • Catherine D. Marcum
  • Paul A. Lucas
  • Kweilin T. Lucas
Series / Aspen Criminal Justice Series
Teaching Materials
NO
Description
Table of contents
Preface

Buy a new version of this textbook and receive access to the Connected eBook with Study Center on Casebook Connect, including academic lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities. Access also includes practice questions, an outline tool, and other helpful resources. Connected eBooks provide what you need most to be successful in your law school classes.



Introduction to Criminal Justice: A Modern Approach provides a holistic picture of the contemporary U.S. criminal justice system including its strengths, limitations, and ethical challenges. The book is organized around the three main sectors of the criminal justice system: Police, Courts, and Corrections. Woven throughout the book are contemporary and engaging topics, such as cybercrime, treatment courts, and reentry. The book also examines law enforcement’s use of technology including body-worn cameras, surveillance, artificial intelligence, and drones as well as the associated ethical and privacy challenges. Innovative pedagogical features that cover ethics, careers, myths v. realities, and minors in the criminal justice system are integrated into each chapter and bolster the learning process throughout the term. Each of these features includes Thinking Critically Questions that instructors can use for class discussion or assign as homework.

Professors and students will benefit from:

  • Clear and effective structure that supports learning with reading content for each chapter organized by numbered major sections and corresponding measurable learning objectives, establishing what students will understand after studying each section.
  • Relevant cases and examples that encourage students to think critically about the facts, theories, and challenges that characterize the U.S. criminal justice system.
  • Chapter 10 on Treatment Courts: A New Path to Justice and Rehabilitation offers unique coverage of this important topic.
  • Emphasis on active learning is supported by innovative pedagogical features in every chapter:
    • Crime in Real Life prompts students to engage with and think critically about a real-world legal case, supported by You Make the Case questions and instructional videos in the Connected eBook.
    • Ethical Conundrums in CJ, Minors in CJ, Careers in CJ, and Myths v. Realities in CJ are accompanied by Thinking Critically Questions that bolster the learning process throughout the term.
    • Questions to Consider conclude each major section of each chapter, encouraging students to pause and think deeply about what they have just learned.
    • End-of-chapter content helps students develop critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills through challenging discussion questions and hands-on learning activities.
  • Skill-building in interpreting data by evaluating figures, graphs, and tables with the latest available criminal justice data. Eight of thirteen chapters conclude with Real-Time Data Exercises that ask students to locate, research, and analyze data from websites such as the FBI Crime Data Explorer, The Council on Criminal Justice, and the Vera Institute of Justice.
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Table of contents

SUMMARY OF CONTENTS

Contents 
Features 
Preface 
Acknowledgments 


Part 1: Foundations of Criminal Justice 
Chapter 1: Crime and the Criminal Justice System 
Chapter 2: The Real Crime Picture 
Chapter 3: Theories of Crime 
Part 2: Policing and Law Enforcement 
Chapter 4: Police Organization and Structure 
Chapter 5: Legal Aspects of Policing 
Chapter 6: Contemporary Issues in Policing 
Part 3: The Court System 
Chapter 7: The U.S. Court System 
Chapter 8: The Criminal Trial 
Chapter 9: Sentencing 
Chapter 10: Treatment Courts: A New Path to Justice and Rehabilitation 
Part 4: The Corrections Process 
Chapter 11: Corrections in America 
Chapter 12: Incarceration and Institutionalization 
Chapter 13: Community Corrections: Probation, Parole, and Sanctions 
Appendix A: Bill of Rights 
Appendix B: The Constitution of the United States 
Appendix C: Useful Websites 


Glossary 
Case Index 
Subject Index 

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Professor Materials
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About the authors
Catherine D. Marcum
Professor and Interim Associate Dean
APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Dr. Catherine D. Marcum is the Interim Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and a Professor of Criminal Justice at Appalachian State University. She received a PhD in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2008. Dr. Marcum’s areas of expertise include cyber-offending and victimization, correctional issues, and offender reentry and reintegration. She has written over 70 peer-reviewed articles, as well as authored or edited 25 books in these fields. Further, she is the current editor of the Journal of Criminal Justice Education.

Paul A. Lucas
Associate Professor
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

Dr. Paul A. Lucas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at East Carolina University. He earned his PhD in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His expertise includes courts, treatment courts, program evaluation, and criminal justice policy. Dr. Lucas serves as the evaluator for the Ellis County Recovery Court (KS) and the Lincoln County Community Centered Court (NC), conducting assessments that inform practice and policy. He has successfully secured federal grant funding to support evaluation efforts for these and other problem-solving courts, advancing evidence-based improvements in the justice system. A first-generation college student and former practitioner, Dr. Lucas brings enthusiasm and perspective to his teaching and mentorship.

Kweilin T. Lucas
Associate Professor
MARS HILL UNIVERSITY

Kweilin T. Lucas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Program Coordinator for the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice (MACJ) Program at Mars Hill University. Since graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2018 with a PhD in Criminology, her work has been published in the American Journal of Criminal Justice, Victims & Offenders, Aggression and Violent Behavior, the International Journal for Court Administration, the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, and Criminal Justice Policy Review. Dr. Lucas has taught college courses in over 30 subject areas, and she brings years of professional experience to her teaching, mentoring, and program leadership to prepare the next generation of students for their chosen careers in criminal justice.

Product Information
Edition
First Edition
Publication date
2026-01-23
Copyright Year
2026
Pages
528
Connected eBook with Study Center + Paperback
9798892075619
Connected eBook (Digital Only)
9798892075626
Subject
Criminal Justice, Introduction
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