Criminal Courts
A Contemporary Perspective
- Craig Hemmens - Washington State University, USA
- David C. Brody - Washington State University, USA
- Cassia Spohn - Arizona State University, USA
“This is a well written, well arranged, and a very informative book. It will definitely be an asset to students taking this course.”
—Emil Moldovan, M.P.A., Radford University
Written by three nationally recognized experts in the field, Criminal Courts: A Contemporary Perspective explores all conventional topics (court structure, courtroom actors, and the trial and appeals process) as well as others seldom covered, such as specialty courts and the goals and functions of the law. This comprehensive and accessible approach allows instructors to cover all the “standard” material and offers the option to add selections they consider interesting and relevant to their particular course. This text will provide students with an understanding of the foundational concepts and enable them to hold a detailed discussion about the criminal courts system and the participants involved.
Packed with contemporary examples and new pedagogical tools, the Third Edition has been thoroughly revised with the most up-to-date content and resources to give students a more comprehensive understanding of the criminal courts system.
Additional instructor resources and study tools can be found online at study.sagepub.com/hemmens3e.
| Why Study Courts? |
| What Is Law? |
| The Code of Hammurabi |
| Two Opposing Perspectives: Consus and Conflict |
| What Is the Relationship of Law to Justice? |
| The Rule of Law |
| Justice, the Law, and Packer’s Models of Criminal Justice |
| Judicial Functions |
| How Judges “Make Law” |
| Development of the Common-Law System |
| The Role of Courts in the Criminal Justice System |
| Sources of Law |
| Sources of Individual Rights |
| Due Process and the 14th Amendment |
| Standard of Review |
| Incorporation of the Bill of Rights Into the 14th Amendment |
| CHAPTER 3: Types of Law |
| Types of Law: Criminal and Civil |
| Jurisdiction |
| The Structure and Jurisdiction of U.S. Courts |
| A Brief Historical Overview |
| Federal Courts |
| State Courts |
| Court Actors |
| Overview of the Criminal Process |
| Problem-Solving Courts |
| Drug Treatment Courts |
| Domestic Violence Courts |
| Other Problem-Solving Courts |
| Juvenile Courts |
| Historical Evolution of the American Prosecutor |
| The Federal Prosecutor |
| State Prosecutors |
| The Prosecutor’s Duties |
| Assistant Prosecutors at Work |
| The Expansion of the Prosecutor’s Discretionary Power |
| Prosecutorial Ethics and Misconduct |
| Community Prosecution |
| Defense Attorney’s Role in the Criminal Justice System |
| Historical Development of the Right to Counsel |
| Indigent Defense Systems |
| Private Versus Appointed Counsel: Which Is Better? |
| Effective Assistance of Counsel |
| Ethics and Lawyer-Client Relationships |
| Realities of Being a Defense Attorney |
| Roles and Duties of Judges |
| Judicial Selection |
| Judicial Socialization and Development |
| Judicial Accountability and Judicial Independence |
| Judicial Performance Evaluations |
| Accountability for Judicial Misconduct |
| Criminal Defendants |
| Victims and the Criminal Courts |
| History of Jury Trials |
| The Role of the Jury |
| Limits on the Right to Trial by Jury |
| Jury Size and Unanimity Requirements |
| The Selection of Jurors |
| Reforms to the Jury System |
| Jury Nullification |
| Arrest |
| Booking |
| The Charging Decision |
| Information |
| Indictment |
| Initial Appearance |
| Arraignment |
| Discovery |
| Pretrial Motions |
| Plea Bargaining |
| Jury Selection |
| Opening Statements |
| The Presentation of Evidence |
| Calling Witnesses |
| Evidence and Rules of Evidence |
| Closing Arguments |
| Instructing the Jury |
| Jury Deliberations and Verdict |
| The Goals of Sentencing |
| The Judge’s Options at Sentencing |
| How Do Judges Decide? Modeling the Sentencing Process |
| Appealing to a Higher Court |
| The Appellate Courts |
| The “Right” to Appeal |
| The Writ of Habeas Corpus |
| How Do Appellate Courts Decide? |
Supplements
Password-protected Instructor Resources include the following:
- A Microsoft® Word® test bank is available containing multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions for each chapter. The test bank provides you with a diverse range of pre-written options as well as the opportunity for editing any question and/or inserting your own personalized questions to effectively assess students’ progress and understanding.
- Editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides offer you complete flexibility in easily creating a multimedia presentation for your course.
- Lecture notes summarize key concepts on a chapter-by-chapter basis to help with preparation for lectures and class discussions.
- Sample course syllabi for semester and quarter courses provide suggested models for use when creating the syllabi for your courses.
- EXCLUSIVE! Access to certain full-text SAGE journal articles that have been carefully selected for each chapter. Each article supports and expands on the concepts presented in the chapter. This feature also provides questions to focus and guide student interpretation. Combine cutting-edge academic journal scholarship with the topics in your course for a robust classroom experience.
- Carefully selected, web-based video resources feature relevant interviews, lectures, personal stories, inquiries, and other content for use in independent or classroom-based explorations of key topics. When relevant, related questions for discussion are included.
- Multimedia resources are included for further research and insights.
The open-access Student Study Site includes the following:
- EXCLUSIVE! Access to certain full-text SAGE journal articles that have been carefully selected for each chapter. Each article supports and expands on the concepts presented in the chapter. This feature also provides questions to focus and guide student interpretation. Combine cutting-edge academic journal scholarship with the topics in your course for a robust classroom experience.
- Carefully selected, web-based video resources feature relevant interviews, lectures, personal stories, inquiries, and other content for use in independent or classroom-based explorations of key topics. When relevant, related questions for discussion are included.
- Multimedia resources are included for further research and insights.
- Mobile-friendly eFlashcards reinforce understanding of key terms and concepts that have been outlined in the chapters.
- Mobile-friendly web quizzes allow for independent assessment of progress made in learning course material.
“This book is very well written, informative, to the point, and discusses the courts from a general perspective…The authors are scholars in the field, and their work has been and will be respected for years to come. The ancillary resources are very helpful, detailed, and in abundance.”
“This text is both affordable for students and presents material in an easy to understand format. The boxes on research articles present students with summaries of research on court processing without overwhelming lower-level undergraduates with entire articles to read. The boxes with high profile cases help students apply the concepts covered in a chapter to real-life examples. Finally, the course site has excellent resources for both students and instructors.”
“Material covered in a balanced way…Great pedagogical features and illustrations”
“This is a well written, well arranged, and a very informative book. It will definitely be an asset to students taking this course.”