Social Justice, Criminal Justice is a thought-provoking examination of the U.S. legal system, focusing on how criminal justice and social justice are related. The book provides a solid foundation of key philosophical and theoretical issues and goes on to examine the function of the law as it relates to social justice issues. The authors present and explain the foundational legal documents of the United States, and critically examine how those same documents, which espoused the rhetoric of equality for all, contribute toward the perpetuation and maintenance of a system of exclusion for groups with minority status, such as racial and ethnic minorities, the poor, women, and the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community. Succinct but comprehensive, this text offers a careful examination of possible relationships between social justice theory and criminal justice practice and illuminates the role that the legal system has played in both preventing and assisting social change and power dynamics. For each identified group, important landmark court decisions are used to demonstrate the plight of the powerless and the quest for equal rights. The book provides an important perspective and understanding of the relationships among criminal justice, social justice, and the law. Suitable for undergraduate and early graduate courses in Social Justice, Justice Studies, Critical Issues, Ethics, and American Government and Law, this text provides easily digestible content for those interested in thinking critically about the U.S. legal system.

·· See Sample Chapters & Resources to download the Introduction to Criminal and Social Justice ·· `Dee Cook′s new book is important, innovative and invigorating. It brings together two spheres - criminal justice and social justice - which are usually, but as she persuades us, unjustifiably kept separate intellectually and in policy and practice. Dee Cook makes a powerful case for the inter-connectedness of penal policy and social policy, bringing together concepts from the two spheres such as social exclusion, citizenship, and human rights. Her innovative approach brings insightful theoretical analysis together with two extended case studies - differential treatment of tax fraud and benefit fraud, and the "third way" politics of New Labour. This book will make it much more difficult for students, policy-makers and criminal justice practitioners to ignore the social context in which penal policy evolves and is implemented′ - Professor Barbara Hudson, University of Central Lancashire `This is an accessible and lively critical account of the inter-relationship between social and criminal justice in New Labour Britain. It should engage students on a range of programmes, particularly social policy, criminology and sociology′ - Ruth Lister, Professor of Social Policy, Loughborough University `A cogent demonstration that criminal justice cannot be achieved in the absence of social justice. There is a blistering but thoroughly informed critique of New Labour′s failure to narrow this "justice gap". Let′s hope the carefully reasoned but impassioned arguments about how to get really tough on the causes of crime and injustice get the attention they deserve′ - Robert Reiner, Professor of Criminology, London School of Economics and Political Science Criminal and Social Justice provides an important insight into the relationship between social inequality, crime and criminalisation. In this accessible and innovative account, Dee Cook examines the nature of the relationship between criminal and social justice - both in theory and in practice. Current social, economic, political and cultural considerations are brought to bear, and contemporary examples are used throughout to help the student to consider this relationship. The book is essential reading for students and researchers in criminology, social policy, social work and sociology. It is also relevant to practitioners in statutory, voluntary and community sector organisations.

"Brings Indigenous perspectives and approaches to achieving social justice, sovereignty, and self-determination"--Provided by publisher.

This reader features contributions from the best-known names in criminology today, commenting on modern theories of criminology and how the concept of justice is met (or not met) by our criminal justice system. Based on critical theories of criminology, each author presents a compelling vision of illustrations of the theory and shows how the theoretical framework relates to the nature and structure of our criminal justice system.

In the era of mass incarceration, over 600,000 people are released from federal or state prison each year, with many returning to chaotic living environments rife with violence. In these circumstances, how do former prisoners navigate reentering society? In Homeward, sociologist Bruce Western examines the tumultuous first year after release from prison. Drawing from in-depth interviews with over one hundred individuals, he describes the lives of the formerly incarcerated and demonstrates how poverty, racial inequality, and failures of social support trap many in a cycle of vulnerability despite their efforts to rejoin society. Western and his research team conducted comprehensive interviews with men and women released from the Massachusetts state prison system who returned to neighborhoods around Boston. Western finds that for most, leaving prison is associated with acute material hardship. In the first year after prison, most respondents could not afford their own housing and relied on family support and government programs, with half living in deep poverty. Many struggled with chronic pain, mental illnesses, or addiction—the most important predictor of recidivism. Most respondents were also unemployed. Some older white men found union jobs in the construction industry through their social networks, but many others, particularly those who were black or Latino, were unable to obtain full-time work due to few social connections to good jobs, discrimination, and lack of credentials. Violence was common in their lives, and often preceded their incarceration. In contrast to the stereotype of tough criminals preying upon helpless citizens, Western shows that many former prisoners were themselves subject to lifetimes of violence and abuse and encountered more violence after leaving prison, blurring the line between victims and perpetrators. Western concludes that boosting the social integration of former prisoners is key to both ameliorating deep disadvantage and strengthening public safety. He advocates policies that increase assistance to those in their first year after prison, including guaranteed housing and health care, drug treatment, and transitional employment. By foregrounding the stories of people struggling against the odds to exit the criminal justice system, Homeward shows how overhauling the process of prisoner reentry and rethinking the foundations of justice policy could address the harms of mass incarceration.

PMThis book presents a collection of some of the best articles from the first ten issues of the journal. The book includes important discussions of street crime, rape, delinquency, female crime and imprisonment, as well as widely acclaimed contributions on criminological theorizing. The authors are, or have been, members of the editorial collective of Crime and Social Justice, and have taught criminology at the University of California, Berkeley. Like the journal, the book offers a series of insights and challenges not only to those working in criminology but to anyone active in the major struggles around law, crime and the state. It presents a clear and coherent response to those who question the need for and viability of a radical criminology. Contents: Part I3 Criminology and the Definition of Crime; 1. "Street" Crime: a View from the Left,^R Tony Platt; 2. Intellectuals for Law and Order: a Critique of the New "Realists," Tony Platt and Paul Takagi; 3. Social Class and the Definition of Crime, Herman Schwendinger and Julia Schwendinger; Part II3 Crime; 4. Karl Marx, The Theft of Wood and Working-class Composition, Peter Linebaugh; 5. Delinquency and the Collective Varieties of Youth, Herman Schwendinger and Julia Schwendinger; 6. Any Woman's Blues: a Critical Overview of Women, Crime and the Criminal Justice System, Dorie Klein and June Kress; Part III3 The State and Criminal Justice; 7. The Penal Question in Capital, Dario Melossi; 8. A Garrison State in "Democratic" Society,^R Paul Taka

The economically deprived come into contact with the criminal court system in disproportionate number. This collection of original, interactive essays, written from a variety of ideological perspectives, explores some of the more troubling questions and ethical dilemmas inherent in this situation. The contributors, including well-known legal and political philosophers Philip Pettit, George Fletcher, and Jeremy Waldron, examine issues such as heightened vulnerability, indigent representation, and rotten social background defenses.