Voices Of Crime

"The book is a collection of essays looking at histories of crime and justice in Latin America, with a focus on social history and the interactions between state institutions, the press, and social groups. It argues that crime in Latin America is best understood from the "bottom up" -- not just as the exercise of power from the state. The book seeks to document and illustrate the "every day" experiences of crime in particular settings, emphasizing under-researched historical actors such as criminals, victims, and police officers"--Provided by publisher.

Voices from Criminal Justice, Second Edition, gives students rich insight into the criminal justice system from the point of view of practitioners, as well as outsiders—citizens, clients, jurors, probationers, or inmates. These qualitative and teachable articles cover all three components of the criminal justice system, ensuring students will be better informed about the daily realities of criminal justice professionals in law enforcement, courts, and corrections. At the same time, the juxtaposition of insider and outsider views allows students to look beyond the actual content of the articles and develop their own views about the functions and flaws of the criminal justice system on a societal level. This innovative reader, now with seven new articles designed to stimulate discussions and promote critical thought, is perfect for undergraduate criminal justice courses in the United States, and has proven to be an effective companion or alternative to traditional introductory textbooks. Voices from Criminal Justice, Second Edition, also offers a framework for more advanced students in special issues or capstone courses to synthesize information from earlier courses and develop their own view of American justice.

II Judicial -- A Practitioners -- 11. Representing the Underdog: The Righteous Development of Death Penalty Defense Attorneys -- 12. How Can You Prosecute These People? -- 13. Calling Your Bluff: How Prosecutors and Defense Attorneys Adapt Plea Bargaining Strategies to Increased Formalization -- 14. Examining the Death Penalty Insider Perspective: Capital Bench and Bar Interviews -- 15. Maintaining the Myth of Individualized Justice: Probation Presentence Reports -- B Outsiders -- 16. Preparing to Testify: Rape Survivors Negotiating the Criminal Justice Process

Invisible Voices explores the intersection of criminology and history as a way of contextualizing the historical black presence in crime and punishment in the UK. Through case studies, court transcripts, and biographical accounts it reimagines the understanding/s of the role of history in shaping contemporary perceptions. The book: Moves beyond the confines of presenting ‘criminological history’ as monocultural Demonstrates how ‘mainstream criminology’ is complicit in obscuring ‘hidden criminological histories' Critically assesses the implications regarding the positioning of ‘the black presence’ within the discipline of criminology Revises current thinking around excluded, marginalized, and muted histories, when looking at ‘crime and punishment’ as a whole. The opening chapters lay the foundation for locating the historical black presence in crime and punishment, whilst offering practical guidance for anyone wanting to pursue the journey of unearthing hidden history. Chapters 5–9 comprise compelling case studies designed to fuel new discussions regarding important excluded voices in crime and punishment history. The following chapters reveal powerful testimonies from those black voices involved in speaking out against slavery during the Georgian and Victorian periods, and highlight the pivotal role played by black activists during significant periods of British history. Chapter 12 explores ‘The Black Rage Defence’, illuminating a moment in British legal history which tied both the UK and US into a struggle for validating mental health and offending, where race was a significant factor. The final chapter focuses on the need to engage criminologists in a critical dialogue regarding a reimagining of the way criminological history is (re)presented. Invisible Voices is crucial reading for students not just of Criminology and History, but also Sociology, Cultural Studies, Black Studies and Law, as well as criminal justice practitioners. It also aims to provide scope for A-Level students contemplating going to university, community educational programmes, and prison education departments, as well as anyone wanting to learn more about the black presence in UK history.

This innovative text/reader for undergraduate criminal justice courses in the United States provides a companion or alternative to traditional texts. Instead of providing a "catalog of information" this book gives students rich insights into what it is like to work within the system (as practitioners) as well as from those who experience criminal justice as outsiders (as citizens, clients, jurors, probationers, or inmates). By providing qualitative and teachable articles from the perspective of those who experience the three components of the criminal justice system, students will be better informed about the realities of the day-to-day job of criminal justice professionals. A second, but equally important, part of the readings asks that students look beyond the actual content of the articles and use a "critical thinking" perspective to develop their own thoughts about the functions of the criminal justice system on a broader societal level. The Editors have used these articles and this approach very successfully in their large undergraduate criminal justice classes, assigning the readings together with an "essentials" paperback text.

This reader, organized by type of methodology -- experimental, survey and field research, analysis of records, and secondary data analysis -- offers case studies and commentary about research design, varying research approaches, the process of measurement, and the concepts of reliability and validity. The book includes 20 articles drawn from major scholarly journals, each accompanied by a Commentaries section written by the original author. The commentaries provide a behind-the-scenes perspective, discussions of why a particular methodology was chosen, problems that occurred, and how the research results differed from expectations. Each article also has an original introduction and conclusion section, meant to help readers understand the nature, issues and conduct of the study.

Studies of the fear of crime have constituted what is undeniably the fastest growing research area within criminology in the last decade and this shows no sign of diminishing. The editors have a distinguished record of innovative research in the field, being responsible for a number of seminal empirical and theoretical articles. In this volume, they have collected together and for the first time, all the most significant contributions to the field. The collection includes an introductory essay by the editors and articles reflecting: an overview of the field; the causes of vulnerability; the sources of information on victimisation; the methods used to survey fear; the theoretical models employed to explain it; and the nature of policies designed to reduce fear.