Criminal Courts
A Contemporary Perspective
- Craig Hemmens - Washington State University, USA
- David C. Brody - Washington State University, USA
- Cassia Spohn - Arizona State University, USA
Introduction to Judicial Process
Written by three nationally recognized experts in the field, Criminal Courts: A Contemporary Perspective explores all the fundamental topics (court structure, courtroom actors, and the trial and appeals process) as well as other ground-breaking topics, such as specialty courts and comparative court systems. This bestseller provides students with a foundation for understanding key concepts by reviewing the judicial function, the role and purpose of law, sources of law, the various types of law, and the American court system’s structure and operations. Students build on this foundation by learning about participants in the system and the pretrial, trial, and post-trial processes.
Packed with contemporary examples and new pedagogical tools, the Fourth 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.
Give your students the SAGE edge!
SAGE edge offers a robust online environment featuring an impressive array of free tools and resources for review, study, and further exploration, keeping both instructors and students on the cutting edge of teaching and learning. Learn more at edge.sagepub.com/hemmens4e.
| Why Study Courts? |
| What Is Law? |
| The Code of Hammurabi |
| Two Opposing Perspectives: Consensus and Conflict |
| What Is the Relationship of Law to Justice? |
| The Rule of Law |
| Justice, the Law, and Packer’s Models of Criminal Justice |
| Two 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 |
| Standard of Review |
| Incorporation of the Bill of Rights Into the Fourteenth Amendment |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Wrongful Conviction and Exoneration of the Innocent |
| 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? |
| Problem-Solving Courts |
| Drug Treatment Courts |
| Domestic Violence Courts |
| Other Problem-Solving Courts |
| Juvenile Courts |
Supplements
SAGE edge for students enhances learning, is easy to use, and offers:
- an open-access site that makes it easy for students to maximize their study time, anywhere, anytime;
- eFlashcards that strengthen understanding of key terms and concepts;
- eQuizzes that allow students to practice and assess how much they’ve learned and where they need to focus their attention;
- carefully selected video and multimedia links that enhance classroom-based exploration of key topics; and
- exclusive access to influential SAGE journal and reference content that ties important research and scholarship to chapter concepts to strengthen learning.
SAGE edge for instructors supports your teaching by making it easy to integrate quality content and create a rich learning environment for students with:
- a password-protected site for complete and protected access to all text-specific instructor resources;
- test banks that provide a diverse range of ready-to-use options that save you time. You can also easily edit any question and/or insert your own personalized questions;
- editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides that offer complete flexibility for creating a multimedia presentation for your course;
- exclusive access to influential full-text SAGE journal articles, which have been carefully selected to tie important research and scholarship to chapter concepts;
- lecture notes that summarize key concepts by chapter to help you prepare for lectures and class discussions; and
- a course cartridge for easy LMS integration.
“Straightforward, easy for students to understand, and spotlights all the critical stages in the criminal justice process timeline.”
“This is a great lower-level text for a court process class that offers a well-rounded introduction to the court process, structure, and relevant issues today. It is also priced well compared to other notable texts in the market.”
“Very informative text written by well-respected names. Covers all of the expected content in a criminal courts text in a way that engages students.”
“A very well done book on criminal courts—one that rivals the other texts that may be commonly used. I like many of the features: it is easy to follow, has great interface, and is up-to-date, including a lot of newer information.”
“[Criminal Courts] does a better job of covering the subject matter of an introductory course on law and torts. It does not overwhelm students with lists of cases. It provides specific information in each chapter in the form of boxes that present additional information in a concise and direct manner. Topics include comparative courts, examination of current controversies, movies and courts, and a view of the court system from participants.”
