The gold standard for introductory criminal justice texts. Best-selling and time-tested, Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century,continues to lead the field as the gold-standard for introductory criminal justice texts. Its comprehensive coverage focuses on the crime picture in America and on the three traditional elements of the criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections. Building upon the theme of individual freedom versus personal security, it challenges students to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the American justice system as it adapts to the needs of a complex and rapidly changing society. An instructor and student favorite, the Fourteenth Edition continues its tradition of thorough analysis of today's issues in an easy-to-read format. Criminal Justice Today, 14/e is also available via REVEL(TM), an interactive learning environment that enables students to read, practice, and study in one continuous experience. Learn more.

Author Biography

Frank Schmalleger, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He chaired the university's department of sociology, social work, and criminal justice for almost 20 years - while specializing in research in crime and delinquency. He has taught dozens of courses at both the graduate and undergraduate level in both on-ground and on-line environments. Schmalleger is the author of many books and journal articles, including the standard-setting Criminal Justice Today, 14/e (Pearson); Criminal Justice: A Brief Introduction, 12/e (Pearson); Criminology Today, 8/e (Pearson); Criminology, 3/e (Pearson); Criminal Law Today, 6/e (Pearson); Corrections in the Twenty-First Century, 6/e (McGraw-Hill; with John Smykla); Courts and Criminal Justice in America (Pearson; with Larry Siegel and John Worrall); Juvenile Delinquency, 10/e (Pearson; with Clem Bartollas); and Policing, 2/e (Pearson; with John Worrall). Schmalleger has worked with U.S. military personnel -- primarily members of the Army's CID, MP's, Air Force SP's and members of Air Force OSI from the late 1970s to the early 1990s helping officers make successful transition to civilian life. Schmalleger's philosophy of both teaching and writing can be summed up in these words: "In order to communicate knowledge we must first catch, then hold, a person's interest-be it student, colleague, or policymaker. Our writing, our speaking, and our teaching must be relevant to the problems facing people today, and they must in some way help solve those problems.