Criminal (In)Justice
A Critical Introduction

Third Edition

Aaron Fichtelberg - University of Delaware, USA

Courses:
Critical Issues in Criminal Justice | Introduction to Criminal Justice | Introduction to Criminal Justice | Introductory Sociology

January 2026 | SAGE Publications, Inc

Available Formats

ISBN: 9781071956151 Paperback Suggested Retail Price: $156.00 Bookstore Price: $124.80

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About the Author

Acknowledgments

To Professors Using This Book

General Introduction

Part I: Crime

Chapter 1: Defining, Classifying, and Measuring Crime

The Media and Crime

The Rhetoric of “Crime”

Defining Crime

Classifying Crime

Measuring Crime

The Politics of Crime Data

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Notes

Chapter 2: Criminal Law

The Rule of Law

The “Ingredients” (Elements) of Crime

Defenses

Jaywalking: The Invention of a Crime

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Notes

Chapter 3: Criminology

Perspectives on the Crime Problem

Religious Approaches to Crime

Classical Criminology

Biological Criminology

Psychological Criminology

Sociological Criminology

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Notes

Chapter 4: Crime and Inequality

Economic Inequality and Crime

Racial Inequality and Crime

Gender Inequality and Crime

Intersectionality

Green Criminology, Queer Criminology, and Postmodernism

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Part II: Policing

Chapter 5: The Nature and History of Policing

Distinctions in American Policing

Policing From a Critical Perspective

Policing in America: The Early Years

Federal Policing

The 1960s and Their Aftermath

The Homeland Security Era and Beyond

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Chapter 6: Modern Policing

The Organization of Policing

The Use of Force

The Constitution and the Police: The Fourth Amendment

Police Discretion

Civil Forfeiture

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Chapter 7: Police Deviance

Police Deviance in Context

Overenthusiastic Policing

Corruption

The Causes of Police Deviance

Addressing Police Deviance

Defunding the Police?

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Part III: Courts And Trials

Chapter 8: Courts

The Function(s) of the Trial

Adversarial Justice

Plea Bargains

The Courtroom Workgroup

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Notes

Chapter 9: Criminal Trials

The Process is the Punishment”

Pretrial

The Trial

Jury Instructions, Deliberation, and Verdict

Appeals and Appellate Courts

The Supreme Court

Politics and Constitutional Interpretation

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Part IV: Corrections and Special Topics

Chapter 10: The Theory and History of Punishment

Why We Punish

The History of Punishment

The Rise of the Prison

Prison Labor and Indeterminate Sentencing

Rehabilitation

Mass Incarceration

The Prison–Industrial Complex

After Incarceration?

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Chapter 11: Prison Life

Going to Prison

The Prison Population

Types of Prisons

Life in Prison, the Inmate Code

Women in Prison

Trans People in Prison

The Rights of the Incarcerated

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Notes

Chapter 12: Alternatives to Prison

The Collateral Effects of Incarceration

Community Corrections

Sex Offenses and Criminal Punishment

Alternative Incarcerations

Restorative Justice

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Chapter 13: The Death Penalty

The History of the Death Penalty

The Death Penalty and the Constitution

Other Developments in the Death Penalty

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Notes

Chapter 14: Juvenile Justice

The Language of Juvenile Justice

The History of Childhood Crime

Juvenile Justice

Juvenile Corrections

Special Cases

Chapter Summary

Review/Discussion Questions

Key Terms

Notes

Glossary

References

Index

Key features

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

The new edition is available as a digital option through SAGE Vantage, an intuitive digital platform that offers auto-graded assignments and interactive multimedia tools—including video—all designed to enable students to better prepare for class. Learn more.
Data has been updated to include more recent research on crime and criminal justice.
The language is more inclusive, and coverage of different racial and ethnic minority groups have been incorporated to better reflect the experiences of a diverse society.
Recent events have been incorporated into the text, including the prosecution and conviction of Derek Chauvin in the George Floyd case.
New topics include rape on college campuses (Chapter 4), defunding the police (Chapter 7), and voting rights of people who are incarcerated (Chapter 11).

KEY FEATURES:

A conversational writing style speaks directly to students to make the material more approachable.
Reality Check boxes address common myths and misconceptions about the criminal justice system.
Criminal (In)Justice boxes highlight examples of inequality in criminal justice and potential remedies for the issues facing the system.
What Would You Do? boxes engage students with critical thinking scenarios aimed at applying chapter material to real-life situations.
Where Do I Fit In? boxes feature practical advice -- from career opportunities to tips on what to do when pulled over by a police officer -- to give students more insight into how to interact with the criminal justice system.
Some Statistics boxes reinforce learning about the issues facing the criminal justice system from an evidence-based perspective with up-to-date data and statistics.

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Criminal (In)Justice
A Critical Introduction

Sage College Publishing